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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646634">Aloha (my version)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evetka/pseuds/Evetka'>Evetka</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hawaii Five-0 (2010)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, BAMF Danny, Danny Whump, Drama, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Fix-It: s10e22 Aloha (Goodbye), Episode: s10e21 A'ohe Ia E Loa'a Aku He Ulua Kapapa No Ka Moana, Episode: s10e22 Aloha (Goodbye), Fix-It, Gen, Hurt, Hurt Danny, Hurt Danny "Danno" Williams, M/M, Ohana, Protective Steve, Protective Steve McGarrett, Series Finale, Worried Steve McGarrett, mcdanno</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 21:47:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>42,130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23646634</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evetka/pseuds/Evetka</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Just my own version of the last episodes events. So I could live in peace.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve McGarrett &amp; Danny "Danno" Williams, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>195</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. We always got a case</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>The first 30 minutes of the H50 finale were great. It had everything I always wanted to see on screen - protective/worried/angst Steve, hurt/BAMF Danny, although it was rushed a little. But what came next... At the end, I couldn’t believe what I just saw, what happened on my screen. I was highly disappointed and extremely heartbroken, to say at best. So I started to create my own version of the last episodes in my mind. It was the only way how to fix the impression of the whole finale. I started to change the scenes order and localities, change/delete original dialogues, add my own scenes and dialogues...  I started to change things slightly at the end of the first chapter and then it took its own life completely. I know it is not perfect, well, it is the opposite of perfect, actually, but I tried to do my best. This is my first fanfic ever and on the top of that it is written in English, which is not my first language. And the fact that I decided to create my own version of the finale, my first fic ever, speaks volumes about that abovementioned disappointment. So I’m really sorry for all the grammar, stylistic and logical mistakes, I’m pretty sure there are many! But still I hope that it is easy to understand what I was trying to say and what the finale looks like in my mind now. Maybe this version could help anyone else to change that bitter post-finale impression a bit, too.</p><p>Oh and all the characters etc. belongs to CBS, of course. I do not own anything H50 related, because if I would, things would be really different.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>We always got a case</h2><h6>Steve’s garage, evening</h6><p>Another day was over, another case was solved. The whole team was at Steve’s place, drinking, chatting, having fun. They deserved some break after the hard day, after all. Only Steve was nowhere around. He was actually at his garage, listening to his father’s tape.</p><p>
  <em>When he was five years old, I asked my son Steve what he wanted to be when he grew up. “I want to be a cop, dad, like you.” I told him to… be anything but that. The life of a cop is… is not easy. It’s not that I’m not proud of the work that I did, but more than anything, I have, uh… I have regrets.” </em>
</p><p>Listening to his dad’s voice brought so many memories. Some memories were beautiful, the others were painful. The sudden sound of his phone ringing made Steve stop the tape. He returned to the reality and picked up the call. It was an unknown number.</p><p>“It’s McGarrett.”</p><p>Steve waited, curious, who’ll answer.</p><p>“Mr. McGarrett. My name is Michael Claypool. I’m a barrister here in London, and at my client’s instruction, I’ve been tasked with hand-delivering a package to you. If it works for you, I can be in Honolulu in two days’ time.”</p><p>“I’m-I’m sorry, who’s your client?”</p><p>“Doris McGarrett.”</p><p>It felt like if the time stood still for a moment. Steve couldn’t believe, he thought that he did not hear correctly. That he did not understand. That that must be some sick joke. </p><p>“There must be some mistake. My mother, she died, uh, months ago now. Her estate’s all been settled, so, uh…”</p><p>The man on the other side of the phone stood calm, he was probably used to that people were left surprised or in denial in similar situations, so he went ahead.</p><p>“This is a separate matter. And your mother’s instructions were very clear. Upon her death I was to wait a period of four months before contacting you.”</p><p>Steve somehow accepted that it may be true. That it may really be happening.</p><p>“This package. What is it?”</p><p>“I’m sorry. I don’t know. I’m just following the instructions I was given.” </p><p>Then, after the phone beeped off, Steve was left there standing like if he was paralyzed. He was trying hard to understand what did just happen, but even although he tried as best as he could, it didn’t help. He was confused as hell. He couldn’t believe. He couldn’t understand. And most importantly, he was tired. Tired of all of his mother’s charades.</p><p> </p>
<h6>Steve’s house, two days later, morning</h6><p>It was one bright sunny morning in Hawaii. Steve made himself a cup of coffee and waited. Then he heard the door bell rang. He opened the door with the cup full of coffee still in his right hand.</p><p>“Mr. McGarrett?”</p><p>“Yeah.”</p><p>“Michael Claypool. My apologies for being a little early. My flight landed ahead of schedule.”</p><p>“No, no, no problem. Please, uh, come on in. And, uh, make yourself at home”. </p><p>Steve pointed to the couch with his right hand, still holding the cup in it, and closed the front door with his left hand. Not every day you got contacted from beyond the grave, so no wonder he was also slightly nervous. </p><p>“Thank you.” </p><p>“I-I mean, I-I got to say, it hardly seems necessary, coming all the way from London for this.”</p><p>Steve was curious and afraid at the same time.</p><p>“Well, your mother’s instructions were very clear. Following her death, I was to wait four months and then hand-deliver this package to you.”</p><p>Mr. Claypool handed Steve one sealed envelope addressed just “My Son”. Steve took it and looked at it being taken by surprise.</p><p>“Uh, I’m sorry. This letter? This is what you came all this way to give me?”</p><p>The man started to close his suitcase as a sign that he did what he had to and can leave now.</p><p>“That was the job I was hired to do. Now, I’m sure you have a very busy day ahead of you. Good day.”</p><p>“Yeah. Thank you, yes. Okay.” </p><p>Steve kept staring at the envelope even while following the man to the front door. </p><p>“Good day to you, too. And, um, hey, listen. Safe trip home, okay?”</p><p>“Thank you.”</p><p>“All right.”</p><p>Steve closed the door and was still very confused. Well, he never stopped to be confused. He was looking at the envelope again with his cup of coffee still in his hand. When he cleared his mind and realized that he couldn’t wait anymore, he put his cup fast on the table and opened the envelope. Inside was some folded paper. Steve opened it to see what was inside. The cipher. 

</p><p> </p>
<h6>National memorial cemetery, the same day, noon</h6><p>When Danny woke up that morning, he found out that he was completely left alone at Steve’s house. Junior was at Tani’s, he knew that, and he supposed that Steve was swimming or running outside as he usually used to do in the mornings. He also knew that the lawyer was about to come but that appointment shouldn’t take a place that early. He wondered what happened and right after he noticed that there was almost full cup of coffee left at the table in the living room, he became suspicious. He looked outside from the window only to find out that Steve’s car was left, too. </p><p>An hour later, Danny arrived at the cemetery. He parked the car and watched Steve kneeling at his father’s grave. He didn’t know what to think but he knew that he didn’t like it already. So he took one deep breath and stepped out of his car. The sound of the car door being closed interrupted the flow of Steve’s thoughts. He looked back and saw Danny slowly and hesitatingly coming towards him.</p><p>„Love you, Pops,“ Steve said to his father, stood up, sighed deeply and turned to Danny. „Hey.“</p><p>„Hey. What’s happening?“ Danny asked carefully.</p><p>Steve didn’t answer that one particular question and asked his partner his own question, instead.</p><p>„How’d you find me?“</p><p>„I’m cop.“ Danny pretended to be slightly offended by that question, but after a moment he answered honestly. „Well, uh, I pinged your phone, which, if you checked every once in a while, you’d know that people are looking for you. We got, we got something.“</p><p>„We always got a case, “ Steve looked down to the ground like if being defeated, sighed and then headed to the bench standing nearby.</p><p>Danny never stopped looking at his partner, frowned worriedly and asked an usual, simple question: „You all right?“</p><p>And the simplest answer possible followed: „Yeah.“</p><p>Well, that one didn’t sound convincing at all, so Danny sat next to Steve and asked again, just to make sure: „Yeah?“</p><p>„Yeah, yeah. Oh… You know, I, uh, got a visit from that, uh, lawyer from England this morning“ </p><p>Steve said that almost like if it was a common thing, nothing unusual, no big deal. But he was exhausted with even only thinking about it, so he wasn’t able to express any emotions. Or maybe he wasn’t able to feel them. </p><p>„What is this?“ asked Danny after Steve gave him the folded paper. He curiously opened the letter and stared at its content.</p><p>„It’s a cipher.“</p><p>„Why would your mother leave you a coded message?“ </p><p>Well, Danny wasn’t the only one who did not understand. He gave the letter back to Steve who sighed and sounded really annoyed. </p><p>“I don’t know. To be honest with you, uh, I don’t think I-I really care.”</p><p>Danny, listening very carefully, was impressed by the progress that Steve had made. It looked like if he finally got over the whole situation with his mother and her lies, her games, her obviously never ending comebacks. But the fact that it <em>looked</em> like that didn’t necessarily mean that it really <em>was</em> like that. Anyway, he nodded, didn’t interrupt and let Steve continue.</p><p>“I mean, everything I went through with that woman, all the lies, all the years of thinking she was dead, and I just, I want to be done with it, you know? I just… The last thing I need in my life right now is another mystery. You know?”</p><p>“Pretty sure I know you. You’re not gonna… be able to leave it alone, right?” </p><p>“What do you think?”</p><p>“Well, let me ask you something else. Um, why today? Why’d you come here today?”</p><p>“I woke up thinking about dad. I’ve been thinking about him a lot lately, I guess. I mean, it’s coming up on ten years since he died, so…”</p><p>“It’s been ten years?”</p><p>“Crazy, huh? So much has changed since he’s been gone. Especially recently, losing Joe and-and mom.”</p><p>“Yeah, it’s, um, it’s been a tough year.”</p><p>Danny knew better than anyone what Steve went through and how was he feeling. Not only because he was always by his side when needed (Steve would probably add that even if not needed), but also because Steve wasn’t the only one having a tough year, or better said, tough years. Anyway, this was not about Danny, this was about Steve, so he let him finish his thoughts.</p><p>“Yeah. I’m thinking about them and everything that happened a lot these days, you know? The more questions I have, the less answers I get. So, uh, I came here to, um, to think, to sort my thoughts, because maybe I’m just feeling a little lost right now.”</p><p>Steve, with eyes slightly teary, looked at Danny. And Danny could definitely relate.</p><p>“That’s all right. Look, why don’t, why don’t you, um, take the day, relax, do what you got to do? I’ll go over to the crime scene by myself. What do you say?”</p><p>That offer was really kind and Steve appreciated that. But, as a real McGarrett that Steve was, he manned up and decided strictly: “No, let’s go. I’ll drive.” Then he stood up and went towards the car.</p><p>Danny, on the other hand, still sitting on the bench, started to shake his head in disbelief. Of course you will drive, you moron, he said to himself, but only your own car. Instead of saying that out loud, he sighed and asked: “Where the hell you think you’re going, huh?”</p><p>Steve stopped on his way and turned back to Danny.</p><p>“What? Wha-what do you mean, where am I going? You just said we got a case. So c’mon. Let’s go.”</p><p>Danny sighed again. He stood up and faced Steve.</p><p>“Yes, I just said that, and yes, we do have a case,” he tried to explain slowly and with all the patience he had, only to continue with his typical sarcasm and with his hands talking: “But your car is parked over there, genius.”<br/>
Steve turned his head in the direction that Danny was pointing at only to find out that his partner was right. The Silverado was really parked there. Damn. He unwillingly looked back at Danny and, to end the discussion, he, slightly pissed off, pointed at him saying: “Shut up.” </p><p>Then Steve paced to his car. </p><p>Before Danny decided to walk, of course to his own car, he took deep breath and murmured to himself: “This is gonna be a hard day.”</p><p>Minutes after they left the cemetery, two black vans followed unnoticed.

</p><p> </p>
<h6>Steve’s office, the same day, afternoon</h6><p>Although Steve didn’t take a day off as Danny suggested, he later actually decided to let the rest of the team to do the biggest part of the job that day. He decided it would be better if he stay at the office, operating at the smart table and finally finishing some paperwork rests. And even if he took a rest through the day for just one second, he started to think. Or maybe he didn’t even had to start, because he never stopped. His recent thoughts were always present, haunting him. </p><p>It was just one of those few moments of “resting” when he was wandering through the never ending labyrinth of his confused mind again and when he heard the knocking on the door of his office. It was Lincoln Cole, bringing some folders filled with papers to be signed. Steve told him to come in, they talked a bit while he took the folders and put them on his table right next to the cipher. Lincoln hesitated for a while, but then he decided to ask.</p><p>“Couldn’t help but notice that on your desk before. The cipher. What is it?”</p><p>Steve looked back at the table, took that letter and stared at it.</p><p>“I don’t know, man. I wish I could tell you. I should probably, uh, at least try to pull stuff up online, find resources to crack it. But, uh, honestly, I doubt I’ll have any luck with it, so…”</p><p>Lincoln paused in thought, then he looked at Steve and came with an idea.</p><p>“Well, if I may suggest, don’t waste your time on it, because it just so happens that I know someone super smart at the mainland, it is actually a wizard with that kind of stuff. You definitely want that person on your team at a pub quiz. If you want me to make a call or to give you a contact, I’d be happy to.”</p><p> “I-I-I do appreciate that very much, Lincoln,” Steve was really caught in surprise, that was the last thing he’d expect to happen. But this day was obviously full of surprises. “I just have to think about it.”</p><p>“Okay, I get it. So let me just give you the initials and phone number and you’ll see. You decide, it’s up to you.” Lincoln wrote off something to a paper and gave it to Steve. </p><p>“Thank you. Really, man, thank you,” said Steve while folding the paper unintentionally and then he just put it into one of his shirt’s pocket. </p><p>“You’re welcome, Commander.” Lincoln smiled.</p><p>Steve smiled back and the moment Lincoln walked away from his office, Steve’s phone started to ring. He grabbed the phone and looked at the display. </p><p>“Yeah, Danny, what’s up? – No, no, I actually just talked with Lincoln. – Yeah, sure. Want me to grab something to eat? - Okay.”</p><p>Steve took the cipher from the table, folded it and put into his pants’ back pocket. He grabbed the keys and left his office. The idea of having beer with his friend sounded great. As always, actually.<br/>
The rest was really needed.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. I hit the ground running hard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>I hit the ground running hard</h2>
<h6>Steve’s house, parking spot, the same day, evening</h6>
<p>Steve was glad that Danny called and suggested that they should drink couple of beers, although he was aware that there had to be something more behind it, because Danny usually didn’t call just because of that he wanted to take a beer or two at the end of the day. The two of them sitting at the beach, talking and taking beers at the evening was quite normal picture of those partners. Something like their tradition, like one of the few constants they had in their lives. </p>
<p>After Steve arrived at the parking spot next to his house, he turned off the engine and sit in his car for a while. With the radio also being turned off, it was just him and his thoughts. Again. He was overwhelmed with them, tired of them, so he leaned his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes as if it would help. He started to do some recap of the events of recent days to this particular moment. He opened his eyes, took a look at his house, at his home, and then looked again through his car’s front window. He was staring to nowhere when he remembered the paper that Lincoln gave him today at the office so he took the folded paper out of his pocket. He played with it, looked at it and then he finally opened it. He read that contact´s initials. And suddenly an idea started to form in his mind. Steve put that paper back into his pocket, took a deep breath, closed his eyes and nodded. After a while he decided that it’s time to get out of the car. When he entered his house, he was almost immediately welcomed by very happy Eddie.

</p>
<p> </p><h6>Steve’s house, lanai, the same day, evening</h6>
<p>Danny was sitting at his chair on the beach, holding his beer, listening to the ocean, eyes closed. It looked like he was enjoying the moment, the heat from the sun that will be setting down soon. But maybe he was just trying hard to calm down, to sort his own thoughts and feelings and to mentally prepare himself for the conversation that was about to happen there. </p>
<p>Then Steve came with Eddie by his side. </p>
<p>“Yo.”</p>
<p>Danny suddenly woke up from wandering through his mind and greeted back: “Yo.”</p>
<p>"Hey, you got started without me." Steve said and grabbed his beer. They cheered and Eddie made himself comfortable at the beach right between these two.</p>
<p>"What’s the face?" Steve asked after studying Danny’s expression. "You got a face on your face". </p>
<p>Danny didn’t understand. Suddenly, Steve’s face became lighten up and he started to smile almost blushingly while saying "Oh, is this about Lincoln? You’re worried Lincoln is my new BFF? Yo, no one can replace you. You’re my Danno!" </p>
<p>Danny shook his head in disbelief, thinking that Steve really is an idiot. "Don’t do that." </p>
<p>"Don’t do what?"</p>
<p>"I actually want to talk to you finally. I wanna continue in the conversation we started this morning. So please, don’t deflect. I’m... I’m concerned about you. I want to have a real conversation."</p>
<p>"Okay" Steve knew that he can’t run from this forever, because Danny would never give up trying, digging, asking. So he encouraged himself and after a couple of seconds he opened up.</p>
<p>"Look, man... I don’t know, uh, I don’t know what is happening right now with that whole cipher thing... Damn, I, uh, I even don’t know what is happening with me right now, to be honest. I feel like, uh, like if I’m stuck in some vicious circle, you know? And I need to get out of it." </p>
<p>Steve confessed that his head is not a very good place right now. He admitted that after he received that envelope he was confused even more than before. He really was lost. He didn’t understand how and why all of this could be happening. He really felt he got over everything already and now it was here again. It hit him hard and everything returned to him. </p>
<p>Danny tried hard to reassure Steve that they can figure this out together, like they always did, and he suggested that they should contact Jerry to help them to crack that cipher. He actually missed that conspiratorial maniac. After a moment of silence, Steve, staring at the ocean, came with a simple and resolute "No". </p>
<p>Danny was a little confused, he was not sure if he understood that hidden meaning so he asked carefully. "So what, uh, you don’t want to solve it?"</p>
<p>Steve turned his head to Danny, sighing: "You know, uh, Lincoln told me today that he knows someone on the mainland. Someone who, uh, who could probably crack that cipher." </p>
<p>That was like pushing the right button to activate Danny’s sarcasm - "Oh, great, because, uh, because that makes sense just perfectly. Why to ask for help someone we know already and is here on the island just like, uh, I don’t know, half an hour from us, right? Instead of that we should rather contact some, uh, some weirdo we don’t even know at all and who is about at least six hours from us on the mainland. But yeah, okay, Lincoln said so, so be it." </p>
<p>Steve started to laugh. Danny turned to him and asked with a serious face: "What are you laughing at?" </p>
<p>Steve responded with a grin on his face: "Buddy, you really are jealous, huh? Admit it, Danny." </p>
<p>Danny sighed being annoyed and gave up. Steve’s face then turned from smiling one to serious one. His deep sigh followed. "Look, all I know is that ten years ago I hit the ground running hard and I’ve been running ever since. And something changed, man. I’ve been here doing this for so long now... I kind of feel like I’ve been protecting everybody except for myself. Does that make sense?"</p>
<p>Steve looked at Danny to make sure he understands and then he continued.</p>
<p>"And what’s worse, I feel like I’ve failed in protecting the people I love. You know, uh, my dad, my mom, Joe... It feels like, uh, like something bad always happens to my people because of me or as a result that I’m just around them."</p>
<p>"Oh man, come on, that’s not...," Danny tried to interrupt.</p>
<p>"No, no." In Steve’s point of view, there was nothing needed to be discussed.</p>
<p>Danny started to feel uncomfortable, deep down he knew where this conversation was heading. Slowly, but surely. He was preparing himself for this, but still. And even though he was screaming inside already, he said nothing and let Steve continue.</p>
<p>"And, uh, to be honest with you… with what Lincoln said today about someone on the mainland... I just-I just got an idea. I mean, I - I don’t want to go there just to crack that damned cipher or whatever. I think I want to go there to get some perspective first, you know? And then, eventually... maybe I’ll catch up with his contact there. But first I, uh, I need to take a break. I need to take some time for myself and cool out. And think about everything. About the past, the present and most of all about the future. And I can’t do that here anyway, you know? I got too many memories."</p>
<p>There were like millions of things that Danny would like to say to him and questions that he would like to ask right here, right now. But he knew that it would not help his hurting friend at all. Steve didn’t need to struggle even more because of Danny’s own concerns about this whole situation. That’d be selfish. He had to be supportive of his friend, no matter what his own needs, fears and wishes were now. He had the same attitude years ago when he was worried that Steve isn’t taking his health issues seriously and he is having the exact same attitude at this moment, at this situation, too. He will deal with his own problems about it later. Somehow. </p>
<p>So Danny patiently let Steve continue. Because honestly, it didn’t happen every day for Steve to open up like that.</p>
<p>"But I will say this is how I thought it would end for us... a couple of old guys sitting on a beach, watching sunsets..."</p>
<p>"I mean that sounds great to me. We can still do that."</p>
<p>Steve stared down to the sand and sighed. He couldn’t look Danny into his eyes. "I don’t know anymore, Danny. I don’t know." </p>
<p>Danny was afraid to even think about it, but somehow he encouraged himself to say it out loud. "So, I don’t understand. I mean, what? By saying you need to think about everything, about, uh, the past, the future... you actually think you’re capable of being... done?"</p>
<p>After another few seconds of silence and staring at the calming waves of ocean, Steve came with the only respond he was able to put together right now. </p>
<p>"I don’t know."</p>
<p>Honestly, it didn’t sound convincing, at all. Because Steve already knew. Damn, he knew some time ago. Well, at least he knew deep down in his heart. He was only afraid to admit it to himself, to anybody. And when saying those words, he couldn’t look Danny into his eyes, again, because if he did, it would hit him hard. He couldn’t look into those very familiar blue eyes, because he simply couldn’t deal with what he would probably see in them - a crazy mixture of understanding and confusion, dedication and desperation, hope and disappointment, love and sadness. These eyes would be like a mirror of his own conscience, of his own heart and soul. And Danny knew it, too, so even he himself was trying to avoid an eye contact to not make things harder than they were already. </p>
<p>And to give them both some, probably false, hope, Steve finally added "Maybe". </p>
<p>That word may sound unsure, but Steve was sure. And Danny knew it.  </p>
<p>“Well, if, uh, if that’s what you really <em>feel</em> you have to do, then do it.”</p>
<p>Steve was kind of surprised, maybe even impressed with Danny’s reaction. No convincing, no fighting, no deflecting. </p>
<p>“Yeah, I <em>think</em> I have to do it.”</p>
<p>“Well, you know, I think, personally, that’s the problem – you think a little bit too much.”</p>
<p>“And here we go,” Steve wasn’t surprised, after all. “Now who is deflecting?”</p>
<p>Another brief moment of silence followed.</p>
<p>"Yeah, I am. So… when?” Danny asked. Well, when he said to himself this morning at the cemetery, that this day is going to be a hard one, he had no idea how hard it would turn out at the end.</p>
<p>"Soon." </p>
<p>Danny was caught surprised, to say at best, at how fast that honest response came. It was almost like if he even didn’t have to finish his question yet and Steve answered it already. So the only thing he could do now was to nod as a sign that he understands. And as it almost looked that their conversation will end here, at this particular moment, with them just sitting there silently for the rest of the evening, watching the sun setting down, Danny broke the silence.</p>
<p>“Can I make you a suggestion?”</p>
<p>“Yes.” Actually, Steve would appreciate probably any suggestion right now.</p>
<p>“If you want to go clear your head, get some, uh, some clarity, go to, uh, to Jersey.”</p>
<p>Well, not any suggestion… This idea made Steve start to laugh immediately. And Eddie, still lying on the ground between the two of them, only switched his confused look from one man to the other. It was like watching some weird tennis match.</p>
<p>“I’m being serious.”</p>
<p>“I know you’re being serious. I knew you were gonna say that.” Steve couldn’t help himself and grinned.</p>
<p>“Why wouldn’t you go to Jer..:? You’ve never been to Jersey…”</p>
<p>“I’m not going to Jersey.” Steve was really having fun.</p>
<p>“Why not?” Danny asked seriously.</p>
<p>“‘Cause it’s, it’s full of people like you. I don’t need to go. I already know what it’s gonna be like.”</p>
<p>Danny gave up. “Go to… go to Bali. Or Timbuktu, go to Africa. Anywhere but Jersey, how about that?”</p>
<p>As a result, Steve was somewhere between annoyed, pissed off and mad. “Now I have to go!”</p>
<p>Danny knew it would be better if they both calm down now so he decided to back off. Right now at the moment he wasn’t exactly ready for some argument. “I’m gonna go get another beer”.</p>
<p>“Okay, I’m gonna go to Jersey,” Steve responded slightly offensive.</p>
<p>“You’re not going to Jersey,” Danny said defensively while walking towards the house.</p>
<p>“I’m gonna need recommendations for, uh, places to stay. Oh, and restaurants! I’m gonna need a-, a list of restaurants, okay?” Steve annoyingly yells a little back at Danny.</p>
<p> “Okay, I’ll get right on that,” Danny resigned.</p>
<p>Steve frowned, sighed and, looking at the ocean again, reassured himself: “I don’t want to go to Jersey.” Then he sighed again, drank beer and looked into Eddie’s confused eyes. </p>
<p>“Oh, come on, buddy, you too giving me a look now?” </p>
<p>But that dog was just too cute and lovely to be mad at, so Steve only caressed his head and patted on his back to comfort him. </p>
<p>“Don’t worry, buddy. Mom and dad are just fighting a little here and there, but it’s gonna be okay. Everything’s gonna be okay. I promise.” He only hoped he could keep that promise.</p>
<p>Then, waiting for Danny to come back with another beer, Steve sat back comfortably, closed his eyes and listened to the crashing waves. He tried to calm his mind. 
One deep breath in, one deep breath out.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. My main dude is leaving me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>My main dude is leaving me</h2><h6>Steve’s living room, two days after</h6>
<p>Only two days after their conversation at the beach, Steve was packed and ready to leave. It was like Danny was not living the dream, but the nightmare. He still didn’t understand how that sudden turmoil happened. Steve obviously didn’t had to think twice about his departure, it could even give the impression that staying at Hawaii for a few more days would be wasting his time and only putting back the inevitable. But after he received that damned posthumous letter, his need to leave became really urgent. Almost like a question of life and death, although this time it was his Hawaiian life and all the people belonging to that life that will get its sentence, soon.</p>
<p>As Steve walked downstairs to the living room carrying a bag over his shoulder, he noticed that Danny was already shuffling there around nervously with his arms crossed. He was doing it unintentionally as a way of how to protect himself. At first, Danny was quite surprised that Steve had only one bag and even that one was only half full. It immediately gave him hope that maybe Steve really wouldn’t be gone for that long, after all. </p>
<p>“You all packed?” </p>
<p>Steve nodded silently.</p>
<p>Then, sadly, Danny remembered that whenever Steve had left for one of his, both personal or professional, missions, he actually never needed a lot of baggage. With his anxiety starting to slowly climb its way on the surface, Danny gave it one more desperate shot. He had to try.</p>
<p>“I’m gonna just… say this one more time. This is Hawaii. There’s beautiful beaches all over the place. Plenty of sand. You can clear your head here. It’s a beautiful place. You know what I mean?”</p>
<p>Steve stood there speechless at first, then processing the shock only to be impressed at the end. He put his bag on the floor and asked curiously with a grin on his face.</p>
<p>“Who are you, man?”</p>
<p>“What?” </p>
<p>Usually, Danny would come back with one of his typical sarcastic lines, but this time his mind wasn’t cooperating very well, or at all, so Steve had to be more specific.</p>
<p>“Ten years ago, you came out here, you hated this place.”</p>
<p>And then Danny was back in the saddle again, or at least he tried to pretend to be. </p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah. It, uh, it still is one damn hellhole, that’s for sure. But, uh, I don’t know, man. Something changed. And I blame you. I blame you for a lot of things, actually.”</p>
<p>When he realized that he started to be slightly emotional again, he changed the subject as fast as he could. And he did that in a true Danny’s style.</p>
<p>“By the way, I don’t know why you didn’t use some of the money you have spared over the years.” </p>
<p>“Uh, excuse me? I, uh, I don’t understand.” This time it was Steve who was confused.</p>
<p>“Oh, you do, buddy, you do. Look. I have paid for you for so many times over the years, and being actually pretty good at the mathematics - and you know that -“ </p>
<p>Right now it was difficult for Steve to keep his face straight and not to laugh, but somehow he managed and let Danny continue.</p>
<p>“- so I guess you gotta have spared thousands of dollars, right? And uh, I’ll bet that if I start digging at the backyard, I’ll find that top secret treasure. So, probably for the first time in your life, go wild, you Scrooge, so you could fly first class like a gentlemen.”</p>
<p>“Scroo..,” Steve, unable to even repeat that word, pretended that he is something between touched and shocked, but actually he appreciated this way of enlightenment. But then he continued in the discussion on a more serious note, with his look nervously wandering around the living room. </p>
<p>“I don’t need to fly first class. I just need, you know, I just got to… get on a plane.”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh. And, uh, and what exactly is it that you’re looking for, once again?” </p>
<p>Danny stared at his partner, waiting for an answer. He hoped that Steve will come up with some more specific respond then he did when they discussed this issue before. And after a moment of sorting his thoughts while looking somewhere to the side, Steve put himself together and looked directly into Danny’s eyes. </p>
<p>“Peace.” </p>
<p>Danny nodded briefly and then looked away, still not completely sure what was that supposed to mean. But whatever. Steve noticed his partner’s expression and tried to explain his thoughts more.</p>
<p>“I mean, look at it… It was my father that brought me back here and that kept me here. I mean, he’s the reason I stayed here.”</p>
<p>Well, that was a hard, unexpected one straight in the Danny’s gut. But again – whatever.</p>
<p>“So, now what. You’re gonna-you’re gonna walk the earth like the dude from Kung Fu, searching for answers? What-what are you gonna do?”</p>
<p>“Something like that.”</p>
<p>“Hmm.” </p>
<p>That idea didn’t help Danny to cope with the situation. Like - at all. How the hell was he supposed to be Steve’s back up, if he is the one staying here on the island whereas his ninja partner is leaving somewhere to the mainland so he could probably take some of his stupid, totally out of mind, actions. And maybe it did not look like that, but Steve was actually pretty aware of his partner’s worries, so he tried to reassure him.  </p>
<p>“Oh c’mon. It’s gonna be okay, man. You know that, right?”</p>
<p>Although Danny didn’t know that. No one could. </p>
<p>“You know, it doesn’t feel like it’s gonna be okay. It feels like… my main dude is leaving me. If you didn’t notice, that’s what’s happening here right now, you putz, you know.”</p>
<p>Steve looked uncomfortably around the room while crossing his arms as if he was protecting himself from the meaning of the words that Danny just said. His eyes were about to get teary in every second. After a moment he somehow reassured himself, so he could be able to reassure his partner, too.</p>
<p>“C’mon, man, it’s not goodbye forever.”</p>
<p>Words like a “goodbye” and “forever” where the ones Danny really didn’t want to hear and definitely not in one sentence. And most importantly he didn’t want to hear those  two exact words coming out of Steve’s mouth.</p>
<p>“Better not be a forever goodbye. Why would you say that?”</p>
<p>Steve looked away. He just said that and he didn’t know why. Or did he?  Then he looked back at Danny to remind him something that should probably give him hope, something to hold on to.</p>
<p>“You got a phone, right?”</p>
<p>Now it was Danny who looked away. Did he hear correctly? He did. And damn, yes. He does have a phone. How come that he didn’t come to the conclusion that having a phone will actually solve everything? He’s the one who is the detective here, for god’s sake. Anyway, he managed to keep his sarcasm to himself. This particular moment was already difficult enough for both of them, because they were pretty aware of that that the hardest part was only about to come. So Steve smiled at his friend the way that only he could and stood there with arms wide open.</p>
<p>“Come on. Come here.”</p>
<p>“What, you wanna hug me now?”</p>
<p>“Yeah. Come on.” Steve was almost offended by that inappropriate question. But at the moment they hugged, everything was okay. The world was okay. There were no worries, no fears anymore.</p>
<p>“All right.”  Steve smiled. </p>
<p>On the other hand, Danny was far from smiling. He felt like if it is him being left alone, again. But it doesn’t matter, he could deal with that later. Right now there are just the two of them hugging, eyes closed, enjoying this moment as it could probably be their last hug ever. And the more heartfelt, warm and tight their embrace was, the more difficult, unwilling and impossible it was to let go. But somehow they managed to put themselves together and they patted on their backs as a sign of reassurance. </p>
<p>When they finally stopped hugging, Danny cleared his throat and tried to enlighten the mood, again. </p>
<p>“You know what? You, uh, you really are like a big marshmallow filled with testosterone, you know?”</p>
<p>The detective definitely was a man of wisdom.</p>
<p>“Hey. I love you, man.”</p>
<p>Steve understood Danny’s intentions, bud he simply needed to say that, looking directly at his partner.</p>
<p>“Love you, too,” Danny responded softly, but he wasn’t able to look at Steve. Not that his response wasn’t honest or had meant less because of that. No. He just couldn’t keep an eye contact right now. He tried so hard to avoid it at the moment as if it meant that he didn’t have to face the truth. Nevertheless, Danny took one deep breath in, one deep breath out, preparing to ask Steve for one particular thing.</p>
<p>“Just promise me something, okay?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, sure.”</p>
<p>“Take care of yourself. And don’t make me come looking for you. You animal.”</p>
<p>Steve nodded, grinning. There were no words needed. Or left. But still, there was one more thing that he had to do. He cleared his throat and looked at the couch, respectively at Eddie lying on the couch. It simply can’t be true that animals are not capable to express emotions, because Eddie was obviously sad. Steve came to him, caressed him and started to talk to him, staring into those big loving yet sad dark eyes.</p>
<p>“I got a couple things to tell you. The first one is I love you and I’m gonna miss you, okay?”</p>
<p>“Second one is…,” Then he got his head as close to Eddie’s as he could and whispered: “Lsook after Danno. He’s gonna need you.” Kiss at Eddie’s nose followed.</p>
<p>Their moment was interrupted by some knocking on the front door. Steve looked curiously back at Danny who  just  standing there with his hands in his pockets.</p>
<p>“Huh? Now I’m your majordomo or what? It’s still your house. You open the door.”</p>
<p>And so Steve did. It was easier then to go through another argument about his house being also Danny’s house. So he opened the door and saw the whole team. He nodded they should come in. It was Lou who decided to speak first after he saw Steve’s bag on the floor. </p>
<p>“Really? You thought we were gonna just let you leave without saying goodbye?” </p>
<p>Steve looked back at Danny, again, giving him thankful smile. Although he expected that Danny wasn’t going to make it any easier and he did real good job with telling everybody to come to say their goodbyes, he was actually really glad he did that. After some emotional talks, heartfelt hugs followed with a couple of tears that were shed, Steve sighed deeply and grabbed his bag. He opened the front door and looked back at Danny. </p>
<p>“Hey, partner. Do me a favour. Hold down the fort for me.”</p>
<p>“You got it.”</p>
<p>Then he looked at his team, at all the people he loved and that loved him back. Steve tried to smile.</p>
<p>“All, y-all. Aloha.”</p>
<p>They tried to smile back, some more successfully, some less, watching the door being closed. And then he was gone for good.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. What the hell just happened</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>What the hell just happened</h2><h6>Steve’s house, two months later</h6><p>Time is the best healer, they say, right? </p><p>Well, it’s been about two months already since Steve left and being honest, Danny felt really far from even being at the beginning of his own way to be healed. Maybe he felt even more hurt deep inside than before. Of course he was aware of the facts that it’s been only two months, that the grieving surely wouldn’t last forever and that the life has to come back to its usual drill. And damn, he tried hard to act as usual. But he couldn’t help himself. It was just this everyday life that reminded him over and over again in every single little thing that something’s not right. That something is missing. That Steve had left. </p><p>He had to wake up every day. As usual, he went to the kitchen, drank his coffee. Never ending fights over the right breakfast were gone. </p><p>He had to drive himself to work every day. Sure, he enjoyed the ride in his beloved Camaro, he didn’t have to be Miss Daisy anymore, but he was so used to fight over the driving itself and then almost over everything during that ride, that it was hardly bearable for him to ride to work silently and in peace. The never ending fights over the car keys and the radio stations were also gone. </p><p>He had to work every day. Actually, what helped to distract his mind through the day was the fact, that he, now the leader of the team, had a lot more work to do. Or maybe he intentionally worked more. Yeah, the team was great and everything worked. They even, let’s say, adopted Lincoln. Not that he became the regular member of the H50 already, but it was really helpful to have him around. His abilities fitted to the team perfectly and he went with the other members very well along, so probably in the very near future he would be offered to become a regular member. But not quite yet.  </p><p>Hand in hand with him working more, willingly or unwillingly, came the fact that he had less and less free time. And every single precious moment he was given to spend with Charlie made him thinking. He actually did that a couple of years ago when Grace was younger, but at that time, he left his intentions because of Steve, their job and their restaurant business. But now with Steve being gone for god knows how long and the restaurant being sold, he slowly started to do it again. He started to think about retirement. But he knew that he couldn’t leave the team right now, just a few months after Steve had left to find his peace. He couldn’t do that. At least not right now, probably in the future. Perhaps in the near future. </p><p>After another very long and exhausting day at work, it was almost evening when Danny parked his Camaro in front of Steve’s house. He stayed at the car and grabbed his phone. Then he began to hesitate. He would like to talk to him, damn, he even would like to argue with him. Like if he needed to fulfill his daily quote of sarcastic lines and unimportant arguments. Anything, only to hear Steve’s voice so he would know whether his partner is okay or not. Because Steve not only did have faces, he also did have voices. </p><p>Well, they actually talked and texted few times since Steve left for his journey, but it was nothing special. And it happened more in the first few weeks. Danny simply didn’t want to bother Steve with his own personal problems or with some complicated cases. He wanted to give Steve what he needed the most – time and space, so he could get that needed perspective and find his peace. And come back, hopefully. And just right after he reminded that to himself, he put his phone back to his pocket. He reassured himself that Steve will surely call or text when he is ready. </p><p>When Danny got out of his car, he briefly looked around, because there was this constant feeling of being followed, of being watched, even then when he was at the playground or somewhere else with Charlie. That feeling got stronger in the past two weeks, but every time he tried to catch a glimpse of anyone, there was nothing. At the moment, he wasn’t actually far from starting to think that he is slowly going crazy, because he had this feeling since Steve left, actually. So maybe it was just his anxiety following him, hunting him everywhere he went.</p><p>Danny entered the house trying to chase those probably paranoid thoughts away and headed straight to the kitchen to take a beer. When we walked through the hall, he looked around if there was someone to make him company. </p><p>“Junior, Eddie, you home?” </p><p>No response, no barking. They were nowhere around to be seen, so they were probably already outside. He opened the fridge, took himself some beer and just when he wanted to go straight to the lanai to hang out with his housemate and dog, some background noises changed his mind. Maybe these two are not outside, after all? He turned around, put his beer away and while heading to another room, he asked again, this time more loudly.</p><p>“Junior? Is that you, man?” </p><p>Danny immediately realized that he actually did have company, although uninvited. “Hey,” he surprised the masked man. The two of them stared at each other for a couple of seconds, waiting for what the other man will do, waiting who will strike first. And then the fight began. </p><p>It took some time, some precisely aimed punches and blows and some broken furniture and shattered glass, before Junior realized that something’s going on in the house so he rushed through the door from the lanai with Eddie at his side. As he could only saw the masked man running away from the house, so there was no real chance he could catch him, he immediately run to Danny.</p><p>“Hey, hey, are you alright, man?” Junior helped the beaten friend to sit. </p><p>“Yeah, I’m fine” </p><p>Well, Junior was not so sure about that, because Danny looked and sounded really far from being fine. </p><p>“I’m good,” Danny assured. </p><p>“What the hell just happened in here?” Junior tried to understand as he was really confused.</p><p>“Well, I don’t know, someone came in and tried to robbed here.” Danny was still sitting, resting and carefully wiping blood from his beaten nose and split lip and that’s why Junior was making sure, again - “Are you good?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Danny sighed and then he murmured to himself: “I’m just getting too old for this.” </p><p>Junior didn’t pay attention to that comment.</p><p>“Why would anyone try to rob here…” Junior still didn’t get it and so did not Danny. “Anyway, I’ll call Duke to send someone from the HPD here. Maybe whoever broke in, they left here some prints, some DNA, anything.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Danny nodded in approval.</p><p>“Maybe, uh, maybe I should call Steve, too…,” Junior asked hesitantly, not sure how Danny will react. In fact, the whole team noticed earlier, that Danny started to avoid any Steve related topic. </p><p>“No, no, no,” Danny immediately stood up, “we can handle some robbery attempt on our own, okay? There’s no need to worry him more than he probably still is.”</p><p>Well, Junior wasn’t surprised, it went the way he expected. He studied Danny’s face but he couldn’t decide if he was protecting his partner from yet another Hawaii-related problem or himself from the possibility that this will be the final straw and Steve will definitely abandon Hawaii after he’ll learn that another problem happened here and he’ll refuse to come back. Like this island is really cursed or something.</p><p>“But this is his…” Junior at least once again tried to bring that idea of calling Steve, but with Eddie suddenly sniffing around, Danny used the distraction and changed the subject immediately. </p><p>“I guess that out neanderthal was right... It really is a good thing you’re cute, Eddie, ‘cause you failed as a guard dog big time, again.” </p><p>It was like Eddie understood not only to that one particular sentence but most importantly to the fact that it served more as a way of deflection than an actual rebuke. He missed Steve, too, so he lean on Danny who caressed Eddie’s head and then patted on his back. He did love that dog, although he didn’t show it that much before. </p><p>Junior made the call with Duke while watching Danny and Eddie cuddling. After a few minutes, while putting his phone back into his pocket, he informed Danny.</p><p>“They’re here in a couple of minutes.” </p><p>“Good, good. So now, uh, I should probably go to the bathroom to put myself together before the crime lab dust the house, I guess” Danny explained with an attempt of reassuring smile while he was walking away, still exhausted from that fight a little. Junior, on the other hand, worriedly watched him going upstairs. At the moment he heard the bathroom’s door being closed, he grabbed his phone back and searched through the contact list. He hesitated for a moment, staring at Steve’s name on the display. But when he looked around at that mess, he finally decided, pressed the button and waited. </p><p>The call was accepted.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Sounds like it was serious</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>Sounds like it was serious</h2>
<h6>Honolulu international airport, three days later</h6>
<p>Right after that unsuccessful robbery attempt at Steve’s house, the crime lab dusted the house with no luck. So whoever broke in, they were careful enough to left no prints, no DNA, nothing. And on the top of that, it looked like nothing was stolen, after all. With that result Junior almost immediately regretted that he didn’t listen to Danny and called Steve. He informed him what’ve happened and suggested whether he wouldn’t consider a visit. Just to make sure that nothing was stolen. He was really surprised that Steve actually didn’t had to think twice and agreed. But because he felt somehow guilty that they had no clues and nothing was stolen, Steve’s trip back to Hawaii would be pointless, he called again. Steve didn’t change his mind, though. So that turned out good. </p>
<p>But there was still one thing left that Junior wasn’t sure how to handle. How to tell Danny. </p>
<p>Danny noticed that Junior started to act strange, like if there was something bothering him. So he tried to find out whether he and Tani were fighting or if anything else happened. But after Junior reassured him few times that everything was perfectly okay, Danny stopped pay attention. </p>
<p>Junior informed the rest of the team, though. He needed to discuss the situation hoping that someone would come up with any suggestion what to do, how to tell Danny. But they all were pretty aware of the fact that talking with Danny about Steve was like skating on a very thin ice at the moment. So they decided, and being honest, it probably was not their smartest idea, that it would be better if they don’t tell him. They didn’t want to risk that Danny, in trying to avoid the contact with Steve, would take couple days off and would leave the island with Charlie to visit Grace at the college on the mainland. </p>
<p>The day D came three days after that robbery attempt and Steve’s plane was about to land at Honolulu airport in few hours. In the morning, Junior drove to the work with Steve’s Silverado just like he started to do every time when Tani didn’t pick him up at home. And because he supposed that the team would’ve been pretty busy since the very morning, he asked Lincoln to take that car and to pick Steve up at the airport. And he was happy to. So when the time came, he drove to the airport and waited at the parking lot. </p>
<p>“It’s good to see you, again. Welcome back, Commander.” </p>
<p>Lincoln, leaning against the Silverado, greeted Steve with smile and they shook their hands.</p>
<p> “Yeah.” </p>
<p>Steve looked around at his surroundings like if he was trying to understand where he really was right now, so he hesitated for a while. Then it looked like if he suddenly remembered something nice, because he started to smile.</p>
<p>“It’s good to see you too. And, uh, by the way, call me Steve, okay?”</p>
<p>He was, let’s say, surprised that it was Lincoln who was picking him up at the airport, because he definitely expected someone else. Well, he expected Junior at least, as it was him who called couple of days ago with a suggestion to come back. And actually, he would expect anyone else from the team. But immediately he came to the conclusion that they all were probably busy working on some case at the moment and that sounded logical. </p>
<p>“So, I, uh, I assume you inherited my truck, huh?”</p>
<p>Lincoln looked back at the red Silverado that he was leaning against, laughed and started to explain. </p>
<p>“Well, Junior thought you could enjoy your sightseeing ride from your own car, so,…”</p>
<p>Steve checked the truck briefly but carefully out while putting his bag to the trunk.</p>
<p>“Uh-huh… Yeah. Sightseeing, right. I can only hope he took good care of it.”</p>
<p>“I’m pretty sure he did,” Lincoln responded almost proudly. He didn’t have to know the team for years to figure out that Junior really respected Steve so he woudn’t have done anything to make him mad. And most of all he hoped that Steve will come back one day so he expected that he will continue to drive his car again. </p>
<p>Steve closed the trunk and stared in disbelief at Lincoln, who walked towards the driver’s side as he was about to sit behind the wheel. </p>
<p>“W-wait, wha-what you doing?”</p>
<p>At the moment, Lincoln froze because he wasn’t sure if he intentionally did something wrong and asked, holding the car keys in his hand. He was confused.</p>
<p>“What do you mean? I, uh, I’ll drive you home.”</p>
<p>Right after he finished that sentence, he realized what exactly was the mistake he had made, sighed and started to grin. But before he had the chance to say something, Steve overtook him, just to make things clear.</p>
<p>“No, no, no, man. You are definitely not driving me anywhere. I’ll drive. C’mon, give me the keys.”</p>
<p>Lincoln laughed and threw the keys at Steve. While going back to the passenger’s side, he said: “My mistake, I was warned that you probably won’t let me drive.”</p>
<p>“Yes, that’s completely right, ‘cause sitting at the shotgun makes me carsick, so…” </p>
<p>Steve tried to seriously defense himself, but Lincoln was obviously pretty well informed already. He didn’t stop to grin.</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah. I know, I know.” </p>
<p>Steve looked suspiciously at smiling Lincoln, but let that go. When they took their seats, Steve obviously enjoyed that moment. He was sitting in his own car again and it was nice and strange feeling at the same time. Honestly, more importantly he couldn’t wait to drive the Camaro again, but that would be another story. </p>
<p>After brief moment he turned the engine on and started to drive. Then he also started the real conversation.</p>
<p>“Anyway, Lincoln, now that we have some time, I’d actually like to thank you.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, you’re welcome.”</p>
<p>“Uh, no, I, uh, I don’t mean this - you picking me up and driving me home. But, yeah, uh, thank you for that, too, of course. I appreciate it.”</p>
<p>“Sure thing.”</p>
<p>“I, uh, I’d actually like to thank you for that contact you gave me some time ago, you know. You remember?”</p>
<p>After brief moment, Lincoln recollected: “Oh, yeah, that cipher.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah. That cipher.”</p>
<p>“So you did contact her?”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah. I did.”</p>
<p>“That’s great. She’s pretty damn smart, right?”</p>
<p>“Oh, yeah, she… she definitely is.”</p>
<p>Steve looked at Lincoln with a mysterious smile that was impossible to leave unnoticed and then he returned his sight at the road. </p>
<p>“Wait, what - what was that smile?” </p>
<p>Lincoln asked curiously and Steve grinned.</p>
<p>“Uhm, you know, she, uh, she used to – she was my girl,” Steve looked into a rear-view mirror and Lincoln immediately started to feel awkward and didn’t know exactly what to say.</p>
<p>“Oh, uh… I, uh, I’m sorry, man, I didn’t know…”</p>
<p>Steve gave him reassuring smile. Well, he actually laughed a little.</p>
<p>“No, no, no. It’s okay, man, It’s fine. We, we were together for a bunch of years, but, uh, well, these intelligence types, they got a habit of, uh, disappearing on you, you know?” </p>
<p>“Mm. Sounds like it was serious.”</p>
<p>“Well, yes, at one point it really was. But, uh, but we’ve figured out that we’re just better as friends, you know.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah. Got it. But, still… I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>“No, man. I’m good. There’s no way you could’ve known, okay? And actually, after all, uh, I’m really glad that it happened, you know.” </p>
<p>“Oh, really?” </p>
<p>Lincoln wasn’t sure what exactly was Steve being thankful for. Contacting and meeting with an ex-girlfriend could’ve done more damage, especially considering Steve’s former state of mind, but maybe, in some cases, it could also mean restart of a former relationship, and maybe that was that exact case. So he waited for answer.</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah. Really. She helped me and, uh, actually, not only with that cipher, you know?” Steve turned at Lincoln with a serious face. </p>
<p>“Well, then that’s, uh, that’s great. So…so, she did crack that cipher, right?”</p>
<p>“Yes, she did.” He nodded as a sign of deep appreciation. </p>
<p>“And, uh, what does it mean? What’s this all about?”  Lincoln was curious.</p>
<p>“Hmm, it’s a- actually, those are coordinates for a cemetery here on this island.”</p>
<p>Lincoln looked hesitantly at Steve and said carefully just to make sure: “So, uh, you would come back here anyway.”</p>
<p>Steve thought for a moment, then nodded and admitted: “Yeah, but, uh….” Then he sighed and continued. </p>
<p>“Well, uh - well, probably not so soon, but, uh, you know, when Junior called because of that robbery at my place, that – that was just like a sign that I should come back now. So, uh, I guess… Here we are, right?”</p>
<p>Steve smiled at Lincoln who smiled back at him. But he couldn’t help, he had to ask one particular question. The most important question, actually. And although he was afraid that that one question would be inappropriate, he just had to ask, he was too curious.</p>
<p>“So, uh, so you are coming back here just, uh, just like, um, you know, for good?”</p>
<p>Steve looked at him briefly, but it wasn’t possible for Lincoln to read his facial expression at that particular moment. First, he did not know Steve for that long to know all his faces and second, their conversation was interrupted by Lincoln’s ringing phone. The timing sucked big time, but he had to pick up that call.</p>
<p>“One sec. Yeah, what’s up?” </p>
<p>“Hey, man, I got a crazy tail on me and they are not being discreet at all.”</p>
<p>Steve looked worriedly first at Lincoln, then at the phone in Lincoln’s hand, back at the road and then at Lincoln, again.</p>
<p>“Danny? Is-is that Danny?” </p>
<p>Lincoln didn’t have to answer that question because Steve knew that voice better than anyone so he knew it really was Danny on the other side of the phone. Instead, while watching Steve’s worried face, he didn’t wait to talk to Danny.</p>
<p>“Where are you? Send me your location.” </p>
<p>“I'm traveling east on Kapiolani, just passed University.”</p>
<p>“All right, hang tight. We're on the way,” Lincoln said trying to calm him down a bit.</p>
<p>“All right, great. But do me a favor and hurry up,” Danny sighed nervously, still trying to control the situation in the rear-view mirror, so he really didn’t have time to wonder what “we” meant. He probably didn’t even noticed that word. He was in trouble and he needed help. </p>
<p>“They're all over me, man. They're up my ass, all right? I just went under the H-1.”</p>
<p>“Okay, cop-copy that. Listen to me, we are headed to you now, okay? We're on the way,” Lincoln continued with his calming but concerned voice.</p>
<p>Steve listened to that conversation with worries all over his face and with his heart beating unbelievably fast, so he drove the car as fast as he could. He knew the Hawaiian streets probably better than anyone and wasn’t afraid to break any possible traffic rule. At the moment, he just didn’t care. Sometimes he really regretted that he was no Superman, as Danny often called him, because if he was, he could fly there, only to get to Danny immediately. Anyway, he tried to concentrate as best as he could on the driving but that was almost impossible, especially after they’ve heard the sound of shots, brakes and shattered glass. </p>
<p>“Was that gunshots?!”</p>
<p>When Steve asked that question, he looked at Lincoln with pure panic in his eyes and started to speak nervously towards the phone. </p>
<p>“Hey, yo, what's going on, Danny?!”</p>
<p>Both of them waited impatiently for any respond, but it didn’t come.</p>
<p>“Danny, talk to me, man!”</p>
<p>Steve refused to give up and tried one more time.</p>
<p>“Danny!”</p>
<p>Steve begged, desperately needing to hear that familiar voice. </p>
<p>“Danny!”</p>
<p>Nothing.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. You know who he is</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here is another chapter, yet this time it's not much different from the original. Well, read and see and let me know what do you think about it! And again, I'm very sorry for any kind of mistakes and especially for the grammar and stylistic ones, as English is not my first language. And on the top of that this is my first fanfic ever, so it is far from being perfect, I know :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>You know who he is</h2><h6>At the road, intersection of Kaohu and Mookaula</h6><p>It was as if the ride to the last known Danny's location took an eternity. Steve felt as if he was reliving some horrible déjà-vu at the moment, only hoping that this time the gunshots he had heard on the phone didn't mean that someone he loved was shot dead. No. No way. That was not going to happen. Not again. But the more he repeated that to himself the more scared he actually was. Scared of what he had heard on the phone, scared of what he will find at the place. And then he saw it. He saw a car. A crashed car. A burning car. And he knew exactly what car was that. The Camaro. </p><p>"Danny..." </p><p>Steve whispered.<br/>
He couldn't believe his eyes. And so couldn't Lincoln, sitting next to Steve with his eyes wide open, speechless. He didn't even make a sound, nor say a word when Steve unexpectedly hit the brakes only to stop his truck in a safe distance from that burning car. Then he jumped unbelievably quickly out of his seat and run to the Camaro. Lincoln followed.</p><p>"Danny!" </p><p>Steve shouted from the top of his lungs.<br/>
He hoped that he will hear that familiar voice responding out of somewhere. But there was no response, because there was no voice. </p><p>"Danny?!"</p><p>Steve screamed from the bottom of his heart.<br/>
He reached to the Camaro, convinced that Danny must've been trapped inside that burning vehicle. He knew Lincoln was right behind him, so he looked back at him, pointed at the Silverado and ordered: "Extinguisher, back of the truck!" </p><p>Nevertheless there was no way Steve will just stand there waiting for Lincoln to return and  to do all the work. Instead, he instinctively opened the driver's door trying to get to his friend. And even though the heat was unbearable and the fire was life threatening, he had to try to drag Danny out of the car. It was obvious that he would literally went for him to the hell, if he had to. And that's just what their relationship, both personal and professional, was all about. About the love to the moon and back... and to the hell and back. Nothing in between.</p><p>"Danny! Danny!"</p><p>Unfortunately this time Steve's efforts turned unsuccessful, because the only result of him opening the car's door was spreading the fire. Of course, he knew the rule that the more oxygen the fire get, the more the fire spread. But there was only one thing on his mind at that moment. And it definitely was not school chemistry. It was only Danny. </p><p>The spreading fire singed his arm, though and Steve managed to jump aside just in time before the fire got even worse. Luckily, Lincoln came rushing and started to extinguish the burning car, naturally the driver's seat first just to found out that Danny was not in the car. </p><p>"He's not in here! He's not in here!"</p><p>Steve run both his hands through his hair and stared at the ruined Camaro, at the empty driver's seat, at Lincoln. He heard him clearly. And he knew that he was supposed to be relieved. And of course that he was. But he was also in so much pain at the moment that he couldn't express anything else but that. Sure, there was some physical pain because of his lightly burnt arm. But more than that there was emotional pain because of his missing partner. And even though Steve was clearly hit and even though he was off the duty for two months, he got back into it really quickly, as if he never left. He simply had to. </p><p>"Hey, boss! It's good to hear you again!"</p><p>Tani, walking through the Five-0 headquarters' hall with Junior, not only sounded like that but she really was happy when Steve's name appeared on her phone's display. She put him on a speaker for Junior to have a chance to greet and listen, too. Yet Steve didn't pay much attention, he wasn't even realizing that it's been a while since they talked together and spoke to her as if it was yesterday since their last conversation. </p><p>"Hey, Tani, listen to me. I'm looking at two cameras here at the intersection of Kaohu and Mookaula."</p><p>Tani slowed her pace and looked at Junior. She was perplexed, to say at best. Usually, she would've asked how was his flight and whether he would be heading right home or to the headquarters. But she was so caught off guard that she only managed to ask the simplest question possible.</p><p>"Boss, what's up?"</p><p>"I need the last 20 minutes of footage from them and any other camera in this area that can see this intersection, okay?"</p><p>"Yeah, on it. Boss, you seem upset. Is everything..." </p><p>"Danny's been taken."</p><p>"Wait, what?" </p><p>"I gotta go, I'm gonna call you back. I'll call you back. All right?"</p><p>It was so hard to understand. Or maybe not that hard as she just couldn't believe it. She refused to believe it. She had to recapitulate it in her mind. She just talked to Steve. Steve was back. Steve just told her that Danny had been taken. And that was all. Okay. After a moment she pulled herself together and got to work immediately. In facat, there was nothing else to be waiting for. And Steve would've ended the call anyway, because Duke and HPD had arrived at the crime scene. He didn't want to waste any time, so he gave them all the instructions promptly; he wanted CSU down there dusting the Camaro for any prints, for DNA, for anything that could be possibly found. He also expected a block by block search being done with every available officer in that area. </p><p>"All right? We're looking for Detective Danny Williams. You know who he is. My partner, all right? We're looking for him. Let's go!"</p><p>After he gave his orders, he looked briefly at all those officers to make sure they did understand.</p><p>"Let's go, let's go!"</p><p>He had to make clear how important it was to do their job right and fast. And more important, how special that missing person was.

</p><p> </p>
<h6>At the Five-0 headquarters</h6><p>Tani didn't hesitate for a second and called all the remaining members - Lou, Adam and Quinn. They deserved to know what happened and they of course wanted to help. They needed to help. Danny was one of their own, after all.</p><p>"Hey, we're pulling up the traffic cam footage that Steve requested. It looks like there's at least two cameras with decent coverage on the spot that Danny was taken."</p><p>She got them situated while they all were positioning around the smart table in the centre of the room. Then they fixed their looks at the screens in front of them. Adam suggested to go back to 30 minutes ago and to scrub forward from there. </p><p>"Why would someone grab Danny like this? It doesn't make any sense."</p><p>Quinn looked questioningly at her co-workers, however she in fact didn't expected anyone to answer. She knew that they had no idea just like her, yet Adam tried to bring up few reasonable explanations.</p><p>"Could be blowback from a case he worked, either with Five-0 or from when he was with HPD."</p><p>That made Junior to take a serious look at the events of the last days and weeks.</p><p>"Yeah, you could be right. I, I mean, Danny mentioned that he felt like being watched and followed, but he never saw anyone, so..."</p><p>Junior also came up with an idea that maybe it could be somehow connected to that robbery at Steve's house three days ago. But it was just a thought. Then Lou, trying to keep a cool head as usual, made logical suggestion. </p><p>"Whatever the case may be, whoever took Danny wanted to keep him alive. So until we find hard evidence to the contrary, we're gonna treat this like a kidnapping. Nothing more."</p><p>It was that exact moment when the door opened and Steve and Lincoln entered the room to join the rest of the team. Well, it definitely was not the type of reunion they all had imagined. They were glad to see Steve again, that's for sure, but they didn't know exactly how to react. In that particular situation it was highly inappropriate to ask any questions about the last two months he had spent on the mainland. They could ask him about that later. Later, when Danny is back and safe, of course.</p><p>"Hey, guys, any news?" </p><p>Adam asked and because Steve entered the room as if being absent-minded, it was Lincoln who answered that question. </p><p>"Yeah. Cops are searching the area. But so far, nothing."</p><p>Hearing those words hurt Steve even more. There was no Danny. There was only nothing. He was very worried and it was visible just by looking into his mildly red and teary eyes. He didn't even look at his co-workers, at his friends, he just kept staring at the screen, waiting for something to show up. Then Steve finally collected his thoughts and spoke out. He needed to move forward. And fast.</p><p>"Where are we at with the footage?"</p><p>"There," said Tani founding that one important moment and let the footage to play.</p><p>"Oh, my God," sighed Quinn while the others were left breathless and completely speechless watching the video recording. Not to mention what Steve was going through at the moment, there were actually no words to even describe it.</p><p>Then they, better said, Steve and Lincoln, finally saw what led to the Camaro burning at that intersection, because the rest of the team was only minutes from about to find out soon that Danny's car was burnt completely. They didn't know yet.</p><p>The footage showed the uncontrollable car heading straight and almost at full speed to where the street lamp was standing and then crashing into it. The Camaro stopped and so did Steve's heart. He was hoping to see Danny stepping out of the car and run away at any moment, but that unfortunately didn't happen. Instead, two black vans appeared and surrounded the crashed car with three masked and armed men who jumped out of those vans immediately. The first one took his position at the car's back, aiming his gun towards the driver's direction. The second took his position at the car's front, also aiming his gun towards the driver. And then, the third one, aiming his gun directly in front of him, opened the driver's door quickly. </p><p>Danny was there sitting unmoving, with his head leaning on the headrest and with the blood slowly dropping out of his left temple. But before he could even get his bearings and try to react somehow and to fight back, he found himself being dragged harshly out of the car. And once he was finally outside, still powerless and motionless, there was immediately put a bag over his head so he could see nothing - well, considering him having almost certainly a concussion and a trouble to focus his sight as a result, that was probably not so necessary, but those men just wanted to be sure and to do their job right. They were paid for it, after all.</p><p>The last picture of Danny was him being forcibly put into one of those black vans with two of those armed men joining him to make him surely good company during the ride, while the third man set the Camaro on fire and then got into the second van. After that all of them left the scene quickly.  </p><p>And that was all. </p><p>Camaro was burned for good. </p><p>Danny was gone for good. </p><p>But that was definitely not all for Steve who was struggling with accepting what he saw already. </p><p>He didn't want to believe his eyes.<br/>
His eyes were telling him that Danny looked like dead already. Danny didn't fight, Danny didn't move, Danny didn't try to do anything. There was only his motionless body being dragged out of his car and placed into another one. And he simply couldn't believe that. </p><p>He needed to believe his mind.<br/>
His mind was telling him that if Danny would be dead already, those men wouldn't bother to drag him out of the car and to take him with them. Yes. Why to put a bag over head of someone who is dead already. And he simply had to believe that.</p><p>He believed his heart.<br/>
His heart didn't need to tell or explain anything. Danny was alive. And he simply believed in it. He knew it. </p><p>And after he collected his thoughts, he became the leader he used to be, again.</p><p>"Tani, run those plates."</p><p>It turned out that both plates belonged to stolen vehicles.</p><p>"Okay. Okay," he sighed and continued. "Let's get up on the phones, all right? Everybody here and HPD. If we get that ransom call, we got to get that trace up and running right away."</p><p>Everybody nodded. They were thankful that the leader they know was back; that Steve was back. There was actually no one who could lead them in that situation better, but at the same time there was no one who could suffer in that situation more because it was his partner who they were talking there about. Or, in Steve's own words, it was his Danno.

</p><p> </p>
<h6>Somewhere, Danny's imprisonment</h6><p>Meanwhile, somewhere where Danny was being held, the door opened. </p><p>It looked like if he was in a basement or something like that. The room was dirty, dusty and quite dark. The walls were bare and there was only one very small window on top that helped to guess only approximately what daytime it probably could be as Danny had no idea how much time did pass since he was attacked.</p><p>A woman of Asian origin slowly entered the room.</p><p>In fact, Danny was probably only able to come to the conclusion that it simply was a woman. His vision was too blurred that he wasn't able to focus on her face properly. She even didn't say anything yet, so the only sound that could be heard in that room so far was Danny's groaning. It was hard to say what made him to moan the most. It was probably everything. </p><p>Definitely it was the concussion he had because there was that constant pounding in his head. And as if it was not enough that he had hit his head against the car window, he also received a couple of blows to his head later. He just wasn't sure whether that happened during the ride with the bag over his head or whether one of those nice men used him as a punching bag in the basement. Maybe both. But it didn't matter anyway. What mattered was the fact that his headache was bad and that he had no idea for how long he could hold on and remain conscious. </p><p>Then there was the hardly to be ignored fact that he was almost hanging from some iron construction that was attached to the ceiling. His hands were cuffed and chained up to that construction as much as possible, so his feet still could touch the ground, but only barely. </p><p>And not to mention the blood that was almost everywhere around his beaten face, his injured head, his cut wrists. That's also why his shirt, purely white in the morning, changed its color significantly as it became brightly red. To him the blood was the constant reminder of the situation he was in. If he couldn't see it, he could feel it. And if he couldn't feel it, he could smell it. Because it was everywhere. All the time.</p><p>The woman stayed about six feet in front of him, so she could take a good look at him. She was obviously pleased with the picture, so she nodded in appreciation at two men that were standing behind Danny, each one in one corner of the room. They did their job and they did it well. </p><p>Danny's vision got mildly better, so he noticed her satisfied expression and didn't like it. However he himself wanted to express that he was afraid of nothing, and despite the not very good condition and situation he was in, he had to say something. To say anything. Even though that every single word took a lot out of him.</p><p>"You. It figures. You know... after what you guys did to my car... I feel like we should probably exchange insurance information."</p><p>Danny thought to himself that that one was really good one and started to laugh, yet his laugh was constantly interrupted with his painful sighs and groans. The woman kept staring at him not so entertained, though. Unfortunately, Danny couldn't help himself, it was just in his nature to be sarcastic no matter what. </p><p>"And you, lady, uh... you owe me a new shirt. That was one of my favorites."</p><p>The woman finally smiled. </p><p>"You are a smartass, aren't you," she said as if having fun and continued, yet with her face deadly serious again. "I give you an advice."</p><p>She decided to come to him closer, with her pace slow and calm, with her stare still focused on him. Moment of silence followed. Danny tried to smile, to pretend that he was in fact having fun with their conversation. The woman finally came as close to him as needed and whispered very calmly and emotionlessly.</p><p>"A man with two children should not be making jokes."</p><p>Then she stepped back and watched Danny's reaction with evident pleasure. He tried to get out of those damned handcuffs in an instant. Unsuccessfully, of course. His heart was beating fast, his stare was anxious and his voice was desperate. Overall when it came to his children, there wasn't anything he would be afraid of to do to keep them safe. </p><p>"You touch my kids and I'll kill you, you understand? I'll find you and I'll kill you."</p><p>The woman was really amused by his determination and by his threat. She smiled slightly again, turned back and left the room. The moment she closed the door, he closed his eyes. His face was frowning, his breathing was fast. That pounding headache reached its peak and he couldn't bear it anymore. He bent his head back and passed out. At least he didn't have to deal with any kind of pain.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Comments all always appreciated! :-)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Say hello to your friends</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here is another chapter and I'm sorry for any possible plot holes or inconsistencies. As usual I'm also sorry for my grammar and stylistic mistakes.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>Say hello to your friends</h2>
<h6>Five-0 headquarters, Steve's office</h6>
<p>Right after Steve saw the footage and gave his orders to the team, he left them at the smart table and went straight to his office. It was no wonder that he wanted to have a moment just for himself to collect his thoughts and to calm down his mind. He sat into his chair, ran his hands through his hair and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath. Not that it helped because it was impossible to get the picture of Danny being taken out of his mind. He was desperate that he couldn't figure out what was going on and why. He was also getting tired, because he was back to Hawaii maybe like two hours and was solving a case already. And, on top of that, it was probably one of the hardest cases in his life. If not the hardest. So yes, he deserved to have a moment for himself.</p>
<p>However it didn't last long. He was sitting there maybe for a minute or two when Junior, hesitating, knocked on the glass door of his boss' office. He knew that it probably wasn't the best moment possible, but there was something he definitely had to discuss. </p>
<p>"Found anything?" Steve looked at Junior with some kind of expectation in his eyes.</p>
<p>"No, uh. No, nothing yet."</p>
<p>Steve sighed and looked away. He hoped that Junior didn't come only to ask him if he was okay. Not that he wouldn't appreciate it, but the last thing he wanted to do at the moment was to talk about his feelings. It was enough that he had to go through them. </p>
<p>"Uhm, look, Steve, I was wondering that maybe, I don't know, but maybe that robbery at your place, you know, maybe it was not so random?"</p>
<p>That idea niggled in Junior's mind and he simply couldn't let it go. </p>
<p>Confused, Steve frowned. "What do you mean?"</p>
<p>Junior briefly explained that Danny mentioned a feeling of being followed and watched during those two months, however he did never catch even a glimpse of anyone.</p>
<p>"What?! Why didn't he... Why didn't you call me?!" </p>
<p>"Uhm, you, you were gone, Steve. What-what would you do?"</p>
<p>Junior had to ask that question. And it was meant more as a rhetorical question, anyway. He knew he was skating on thin ice. </p>
<p>"What would I do..." Steve sighed and continued, quite calm at the beginning only to raise his voice later. "I don't know, man. I could tell you only if I knew about it in the first place!"</p>
<p>Steve ran his hands over his face and sighed deeply. Then he shook his head and looked into Junior's eyes. "I'm sorry, man. I didn't mean..."</p>
<p>"Steve, it's okay."</p>
<p>Junior knew that he didn't mean it. It was hard for him, too. In fact, it was hard for every single member of their team, of their Ohana, however he could only try to imagine, how hard this whole situation must've been for Steve. </p>
<p>Steve pat him on the shoulder to reassure him and smiled. They were fine, again, so they tried to go on with that theory. They tried to assume that that robbery and the kidnapping were really connected, but even though they did their best, there were still so many questions and no proper answers left. Because if they were after Danny, then...</p>
<p>Why did they bother to watch and follow him for so long?<br/>
<em>Steve didn't know that it was because of him; because of him leaving the island unexpectedly, before they could get what they wanted. He didn't know that someone was watching Danny to find out whether he was in contact with Steve or not. Whether he could lead them to Steve or not.</em></p>
<p>Why did they try to rob at Steve's house and let Danny go?<br/>
<em>Steve didn't know that they were searching for something that belonged to him. And that then they thought that maybe that failed robbery attempt will make him come back. However it didn't. At least not as fast as they hoped, so they didn't want to wait anymore.</em></p>
<p>Why did they kidnapped him then and didn't kill him, instead?<br/>
<em>Steve didn't know that their patience was over. He didn't know that they were not willing to wait for him to come back anymore. He didn't know that the kidnapping should serve as a leverage. He didn't know that they kidnapped Danny only to force him to return back to the island. Yet they didn't know that in the meantime he came back already.</em></p>
<p>They just couldn't figure it out. At least not right now. </p>
<p>At the beginning, Steve entered his office hoping that he could organize his thoughts and calm down his mind. In the end, his thoughts were even more puzzling and his mind was even more anxious. He would give anything for a moment of rest, but he couldn't afford it. And after all, Danny probably wasn't resting either, wherever he was at the moment.</p>
<p> </p><h6>Somewhere, Danny's hostage</h6>
<p>Resting. Well, if being passed out could be called resting, then yes, in that case Danny was resting really thoroughly. Otherwise, no. The only way of resting he was close to was being resting in peace. </p>
<p>The woman entered the room, again. She looked at her prisoner first and realized that he was off. </p>
<p>“Wake him up.”</p>
<p>The command was intended to be fulfilled by those two men who were standing behind Danny. They looked at each other and one of them beckoned to his accomplice implying that this time it was his turn to have fun. The man was ready in an instant. He was ready to slap Danny's lolling head, to punch him into his still face, to hit him into his stomach, to kick him into his weak legs. And that would've been only the beginning. He was ready to do anything. And what was more, he was looking forward to do it.</p>
<p>However, the woman noticed what he intended to do and specified her command soon enough before more injuries could've been caused to her hostage. Everything had its time, after all.</p>
<p>“Carefully. I need him.”</p>
<p>While the man, a bit disappointed, started to only shake Danny to wake him up, the woman, on the other hand, looked into the corner behind her, just to make sure that a small table was standing there, with an old rusty washtub on it, halfway filled with water. There was also bloody towel thrown over that washtub. However, once she had heard the well-known painful moaning again, she turned back and beckoned to the man to stop waking her prisoner up. She slowly walked towards Danny, giving him some time to get his bearings.  </p>
<p>Danny wanted to move, if only for few inches. He needed to move. He desperately needed to do anything. But was there any possibility that he was able to do anything, actually? He felt his whole body was hurting. His head was spinning because of that damned concussion. His wrists were sore because of those damned tight handcuffs. His arms were numb and his shoulders were rigid because of him being constantly chained and hanging from that damned ceiling. His legs were weak because of his condition overall. And, on top of that, he realized that new forms of discomfort had appeared. Nausea and fever. Great. So, no, he couldn't do much.</p>
<p>In fact, the only thing he was able to do, considering his situation, was to open his yes. And so he did, only to find out that his vision was blurred, again. It took him couple of minutes to realize what had happened, to recognize the room he was being held in and to focus at the woman that was standing right in front of him, once again. She was waiting, staring at him intensely, sort of stoically and coldly, with her face emotionless as usual. This combination was like her personal trademark.</p>
<p>“It's good to see you, again, Detective Williams.”</p>
<p>“Uh-huh. You missed my charming presence, huh?” </p>
<p>Annoyed, the woman sighed and came to him as close as possible. She wasn't saying anything and that made him even more nervous. As a result, Danny was watching her confusedly, absolutely not knowing what to think and what to expect. Nevertheless he didn't want to show her any of his possible weaknesses and tried to be as cool as always.</p>
<p>“You don't talk much, do you.” </p>
<p>And once again, she didn't say anything. She only kept doing what she wanted to do - she raised his blood covered chin a bit and slowly turned his head first to the left, then to the right. She looked at his face with obvious interest and checked all his visible injuries. Danny tried hard not to groan. Even her touching his chin did hurt like hell, not to mention her turning his head to the sides. As a result, his head started to spin more than it already did. He instinctively closed his eyes and made an attempt to breathe through pain and all of his difficulties. After she was done, she made few steps back. </p>
<p>“I don't like it.”</p>
<p>Danny started to laugh and his laugh started to sound desperate and crazy, both at the same time. Despite it, or maybe because of it, he simply couldn't keep the next comment to himself. Even if every single word he said felt like a hammer-blow to his head.</p>
<p>“What, first you made me your punchbag and then you don't like my appearance? Oh, you women. Never satisfied, huh?”</p>
<p>The woman sighed and shook her head in disbelief. She warned him not to be audacious at all costs. Anyway, she didn't bother to react. Instead, she gave those two guarding men her second and also her last order, at least for now.</p>
<p>“Make him look better.”</p>
<p>Then she turned back and went towards the door. But before she left the room for good, she stopped at the table and gently washed her blood stained hands. Because that was what the washtub and towel were there for. Not for Danny's wounds to be cleaned. Not for his dried blood to be washed down. Not for his cold sweat to be wiped off. Not for his fever to be cooled down. Not for him. It was there for those two men so they could wash their hands every time they were done with their job. With Danny. </p>
<p>And they will use it, again, soon. That's for sure. Because the second the woman left the room, sounds of precisely aimed punches, blows and kicks followed by sounds of truly painful sighs, groans and cries could be heard from there, from behind the closed door.</p>
<p>They made him look better.</p>
<p> </p><h6>Five-0 headquarters</h6>
<p>Being visibly upset, Steve left his office with Junior following him and together they returned to the rest of the team. They were still around the smart table. </p>
<p>“Hey, you have anything?”</p>
<p>Steve asked and Tani was the one who answered.</p>
<p>“We knitted together the traffic footage. We were able to track the two SUVs from the spot that Danny was grabbed. It looks like they're heading east.” </p>
<p>Steve crossed his arms while watching the footage. </p>
<p>“Unfortunately, after about a mile, we ran out of camera coverage, “ Quinn added. </p>
<p>Steve stared at the picture for few more seconds and tried to sort all his thoughts.</p>
<p>“Okay. Okay, okay,” he ran his hand over his face and sighed deeply.  </p>
<p>“Quinn, tell HPD I want birds in the air. I want every available officer, and I mean every single person who has a badge on this island looking for Danny Williams.”</p>
<p>She recognized immediately how serious and desperate Steve was. </p>
<p>“You got it,“ she nodded back, took her phone and stepped back for a moment to make the call. </p>
<p>"Lou, I need you to..." </p>
<p>The conversation was suddenly interrupted by ringing phone. It was Junior's phone. He stepped back to take the call. When he looked at the display, he got suspicious. Incoming call from an unknown caller. Few moments after he picked up the phone and listened, he turned back to the team with very worried face and returned to the smart table. They saw his expression and they knew it. The expected ransom call was here. </p>
<p>"What's going on?"</p>
<p>Steve's heart started to beat fast.</p>
<p>"I don't know. It's a woman. She told me to find you soon, 'cause she wants to talk to you."</p>
<p>Steve beckoned to Junior to put his phone on a smart table so everyone could hear and see, eventually. He took a deep breath.</p>
<p>“Hello? It's McGarrett. Who am I speaking to?”  </p>
<p>He was nervous.</p>
<p>“What a nice surprise to hear your voice so soon, Commander McGarrett.” </p>
<p>He was stunned.</p>
<p>“Who is this?” </p>
<p>He was confused.</p>
<p>“My name is Daiyu Mei. I believe you knew my husband, Wo Fat.” </p>
<p>He was shocked.</p>
<p>“Do you have Danny?” </p>
<p>He was scared. </p>
<p>“Correct. In fact, it seems we each have something that the other person wants. I have the person that you care about the most in the world, and you have something that is rightfully mine.”</p>
<p>He was hurt.</p>
<p>“What do I… What do I have? What do I have that's yours?” </p>
<p>He was bewildered.</p>
<p>"Don't insult me by pretending you don't know what I'm talking about... It's the cipher."</p>
<p>He was left speechless.</p>
<p>“Deliver it to me and Detective Williams lives."</p>
<p>He was worried.</p>
<p>“And how do I know Danny's okay?”</p>
<p>He was hoping. </p>
<p>Steve went through so many emotions during that conversation on the inside, yet on the outside he tried hard to stay calm and professional as always. It could be said that on the outside he was standing still, however on the inside he ran away. But unfortunately, no one can run away either from his past or from reality, or, as in his case, from both, forever. </p>
<p>Meanwhile Daiyu Mei went slowly downstairs towards the room where Danny was held. She expected since the very beginning of her plan that at one point Steve was going to ask her to prove that she really had Danny and that he really was alive. And what could've been better for Steve than to see with his very own eyes. </p>
<p>That's exactly why she visited Danny before; she wanted to be prepared for that moment. She wanted to assess his condition, to look at his injuries and to decide, whether he looked and felt bad enough to make Steve return to Hawaii to save his friend's life in exchange for the cipher.  </p>
<p>She opened the door and entered, for the third time that day.</p>
<p>The moment she aimed her phone respectively its camera to the centre of the room and began to livestream, time in the Five-0 headquarters stopped. Every single member of the team stared at the screen. Every single member was shocked and left speechless. </p>
<p>They saw a body being chained up and unmoving. They saw Danny. </p>
<p>“Say hello to your fiends, Detective Williams. They're concerned for your safety.”</p>
<p>Friends. One word that worked as an impulse for Danny to lift his head and to look directly into the camera. After he managed to raise his head and to open his eyes, his vision was blurred. Again. So as usual, he tried to focus his sight. He almost got used to that procedure, however this time it didn't help. And as a result, although he saw the phone right in front of him, he couldn't recognize what or who was shown on its display. As a result he better closed his eyes again. He only guessed that there, on the other side of the phone, are the people from Five-0. His friends.</p>
<p>"Whatever she wants you to do, don't do it, okay? Don't give her anything." </p>
<p>While Danny tried hard to speak, they finally saw his face thoroughly. Well, better said, they could guess that there, underneath all that blood, was once Danny's face. Because the blood, both dried and fresh, was almost everywhere. There was blood running from a massive gash above his already swollen left eye, running from his broken nose, dropping from his busted lip. The whole left side of his head, from the temple to the lower jawbone, was also covered with blood. And as the blood was running and dropping down for some time, it slowly covered his neck and shirt, too.</p>
<p>"Oh, God," Tani whispered, almost crying.</p>
<p>The moment Steve saw Danny, his legs buckled and he nearly gave out. His expression said it all. He was devastated. He was scared. He was scared for Danny because of all the torture he was obviously going through. He was scared that he was going to lose him. </p>
<p>"So, do we have a deal? And don't make the same mistake you made with your father. Don't allow a loved one to die because of your stubbornness."</p>
<p>Daiyu Mei's voice was stoical as always. And by the way, she did a really good job, because Danny's current condition proved that she definitely was not bluffing. She was quite the opposite of bluffing, actually. She was dead serious. She was undoubtedly able to do anything, and what was more, she was willing to kill, if it came to it. And Steve was aware of that.</p>
<p>"Tell me where you want the trade to go down."</p>
<p>There was nothing to be discussed. They were running out of time.</p>
<p>"I'll text you the information and you - you come alone. And do exactly as I ask... or your friend dies." </p>
<p>The call ended. </p>
<p>She stayed in the room with Danny for a moment and it was probably for the first time that her face visibly expressed an emotion; pure satisfaction. Steve was back at Hawaii. She didn't have to wait for him to come back from wherever he was. He agreed with the trade immediately. She was going to get the cipher. Everything went better and faster than she planned or expected. Victoriously smiling, she looked at Danny.</p>
<p>"Don't worry, Detective Williams. It's going to be over, soon. You have my word."</p>
<p>Danny only groaned. He heard a voice out of distance but was too exhausted to bother to react. He was too exhausted to analyze the call she had with his team, or more precisely to analyze the part of the call he heard, so it never came to his mind that Steve was probably part of that conversation, too.</p>
<p>Then Daiyu Mei beckoned to those two men behind Danny and together the three of them left the room.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As usual, feel free to leave a comment, if you want:-)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Good decision</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>First of all, thank you so, so much for all the comments and kudos! They mean a lot to me, really. I would never, ever think anyone would read, understand or even like my poor writing. Anyway, here is another chapter and I have to say - the whole cipher thing is a neccesarry evil (and so it was in the real episode, in my opinion) so if it seems weird... well, it probably is. As usual, I apologize for any mistakes and I own nothing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>Good decision</h2><h6>Five-0 headquarters</h6>
<p>For a while, a complete silence fell over everyone around the smart table. The pictures they just saw were extremely upsetting. The words they just heard were unbelievably cruel. And the anxiety they just felt was almost unbearable. They were left speechless and unable to react. They were shocked. </p>
<p>Each member had their own way of information processing; someone was still staring at the black screen, someone was looking at the others nervously. And then there was Steve. </p>
<p>Steve was feeling as if his mind stopped working, his blood stopped running and his heart stopped beating. He had to lean on the smart table, because that piece of furniture served as his only support at the moment. He lowered his head and frowned. He sighed deeply and shook his head. To the rest of his team he looked like a defeated man already and that's why they simply didn't know what to say. The silence continued.</p>
<p>Steve closed his eyes, because he couldn't believe what he just saw.  </p>
<p>This couldn't be real. This was his worst nightmare.<br/>
But this was very real. This was his own life. </p>
<p>He closed his eyes, because it seemed like the easiest way to protect himself from everything. But the moment he did it, he saw it again. He saw Danny tied up, beaten, bloodied and almost unresponsive. On his way to be killed. Because of Steve. Just like his father was. So with his eyes closed or open, it didn't matter. The reality would always find its way to him. Just like his past already did. </p>
<p>Anyway, the thoughts and the pictures in his mind forced him to open his eyes again. And even though he didn't lift his head, nor did he look at anyone and stared at the table instead, his desperation was palpable. </p>
<p>The team exchanged worried looks and it was Adam who finally broke the silence. </p>
<p>"Okay. What she told you about your father? There's no way you could have saved him, okay? The odds were stacked against you that day. But right now... Right now you've got Five-O in your corner."</p>
<p>Trying to reassure him, he spoke to Steve in a calm voice. </p>
<p>"And it wasn't long ago you told me that very thing. Let us help you find another way. There has to be another way. All right? There is no guarantee that even if you give her that cipher, she'll spare Danny's life."</p>
<p>Steve sighed. He was really tired of almost everything, so he looked at Adam questioningly.</p>
<p>"Okay. I get it. But tell me, what is that other way, huh?</p>
<p>Moment of silence followed. No one answered.</p>
<p>"Exactly."</p>
<p>Not surprised, Steve only nodded. That was what he thought. That was what he expected. There was no other way. </p>
<p>Of course, Steve knew that Adam only wanted to help. That all of them wanted to help. But actually, there was absolutely nothing they could say or do to change anything. Or to change his decision. Steve was told exactly what to do and he simply wouldn't allow anyone or anything to stop him, so... </p>
<p>"Look," Steve sighed. "Giving Daiyu Mei what she wants... Trading that cipher for Danny's life... That's it, that's all I got. That's the play."</p>
<p>Everyone realized that Steve's attitude went from helplessness to determination. There was clearly nothing left to be discussed. With that in mind and to move things forward, Junior joined the conversation. They had to handle it like one of their usual cases as much as possible.</p>
<p>"Okay and, uh, what's this cipher? What is it?"</p>
<p>The rest of the team was also curious to know, so they all looked at Steve, impatiently waiting for an explanation.</p>
<p>"It's actually an address of a cemetery here on this island."</p>
<p>"A cemetery?" Lou wanted to make sure that he did hear just right. </p>
<p>"Yes, uh, in fact, it's family mausoleum, it's my mother's crypt."</p>
<p>Well, this was getting better and better, as if the situation itself was not already hardly believable. And Steve was aware of it, so he explained further.  </p>
<p>“My-my dad used to take me there. It's where we thought my mom was buried. I mean, that crypt was assigned to her after she faked her death."</p>
<p>Tani was confused. In fact, not only her, but she was the one who asked.</p>
<p>"I-I don't get it. Why could this place be so important to her – to… to Daiyu Mei?" </p>
<p>Adam explained the way he saw it.</p>
<p>"That's the thing. She doesn't know it's this place. And obviously she thinks that Steve doesn't know it's this place, either, because she said she wants the cipher - not an address. So, she has no idea he was able to crack it and to figure it out. She's probably just looking for something and she knows the cipher is gonna get her to that something.”</p>
<p>And Lincoln pointed out, that “whatever that something is it's worth a hell of a lot to her.”</p>
<p>"Wait," Junior realized something. "That robbery at your place - that must've been her. That was her looking for the cipher."</p>
<p>Hearing this, Steve only put his hands behind his head and deeply sighed in disbelief. </p>
<p>“It seems the only reasonable explanation is that your mother must have hidden that something there, inside the crypt. That's why she sent you the cipher. She wanted you to find it after she died,” added Quinn while looking at Steve. </p>
<p>“I guess. Actually, I always thought it was empty, but, uh, probably I was wrong.”</p>
<p>And again - Steve was tired. And if there was something he was tired of the most, it was definitely one of his mother's games. So it was no wonder he let the team to do the job; he let them to put this hard puzzle together. Because honestly he had other things to worry about right now.</p>
<p>Lou couldn't help himself and had to stop all the brainstorming.</p>
<p>"Okay, okay. Let me get this straight. We know where to go, but we don't know what are we looking for. And she knows what she's looking for, but she doesn't know where to go, right? And we are only assuming here that she doesn't know that we know. Oh, man. My brain hurts."</p>
<p>"But this - this actually could give us an advantage here," Lincoln noted.</p>
<p>"Yes,” Steve was also aware of this opportunity. “And that's why I need you, Adam and Quinn - I need the three of you and HPD SWAT to go there. I need you to secure that place and to wait there for her 'coz I'm pretty sure she'll come up at the cemetery not long after the trade."</p>
<p>"I don't know, man. Isn't it too risky? I mean, she can..." </p>
<p>Beep.</p>
<p>A sound interrupting the conversation so Lou never had a chance to finish his thought.</p>
<p>Beep.</p>
<p>A sound notifying someone received a text message.</p>
<p>Steve didn't hesitate for a second and checked the phone. It was her. It was Daiyu Mei texting the information and although he still had enough time before the meeting took place, he was simply too restless to just sit and wait at the desk in his office and most importantly he didn't want to be late for the exchange. Not to mention that driving was actually the only thing he could have control over at the moment. And not that he expected it to calm him down this time as usual, because this was simply impossible for obvious reasons, but he had to distract himself a little bit. He had to drive. </p>
<p>"Okay. I gotta go."</p>
<p>"Steve, you sure...?" Adam tried it one last time.</p>
<p>Knowing exactly what question was he going to ask, Steve didn't let him finish it.</p>
<p>"I'm going to the trade alone. I'll call you." </p>
<p>"Good luck, brother," was the very last thing said while all the members were watching Steve leaving.</p>
<p>Nothing, absolutely nothing could change Steve's mind and his plan. And not that they didn't understand it, because they did. And they also knew being in his shoes they would definitely do the exact same thing. But still. Although they deeply respected and understood Steve's decision, no one knew for sure what to expect and what was going to happen. They were just feeling helpless not being allowed to help or to do anything at this moment.</p>
<p>They were left there waiting, hoping.

</p>
<p> </p><h6>Somewhere in the middle of nowhere</h6>
<p>Steve arrived at the exchange place in advance of Daiyu Mei. He remained seated in the truck with his left hand resting on the steering wheel, fidgeting with his fingers, fixing his eyes on the access road right in front of him. He knew he was there early, but still, what if... Unfortunately, no. She didn't arrive even a little bit earlier. She arrived on time.</p>
<p>Steve stared at two black SUVs coming his way; he almost hypnotized them. He waited until the cars stopped and the moment he saw their doors open, he impatiently got out of his car, too. </p>
<p>First, three men stepped out of the SUVs only to be followed by their boss. The woman stepped out and looked around carefully to make sure Steve was keeping his word. And he was. He would never do anything that would threaten his best friend's life. Ever. So yes, he really came alone. Reassured, she walked towards Steve, slowly as usual, definitely not in a hurry. Her dark eyes were cold, her slight smile was fake. Her overall expression was arrogant. Surrounded by her bodyguards, she stopped right in front of Steve. </p>
<p>Steve McGarrett, meet Daiyu Mei.</p>
<p>Disconcerted, Steve was trying to catch a sight of Danny, yet he couldn't see him anywhere behind her and her men. If this was some kind of joke, then it was not funny. At all. Well, at least not to Steve, because something as a smile definitely couldn't be found on his angry face.</p>
<p>"Where is he?"</p>
<p>Daiyu Mei, on the other hand, was still smiling very slightly. She didn't answer immediately and was still looking at Steve, keeping him in suspense. She was the one having control over this situation, better said, she was having control over Steve which made him feel absolutely powerless. And that was something she definitely had to enjoy at least for a moment. But of course, despite having fun, she didn't want to waste her precious time, either. She wanted something, too, and that's why she came here, after all.</p>
<p>"2342 Kapule Avenue. You'll find him there."</p>
<p>"No. Doesn't work for me. You're gonna livestream him from my phone. I want the geostat data to prove he's where you say he is, and he's alive. Otherwise there's no deal, all right?"</p>
<p>The way Steve reacted? Well, she was impressed, yet not surprised. She expected that he would probably never settle for some address, but again, she was the one who had the upper hand here. But after all, even though being annoyed and shaking her head in disbelief, she did what she was asked to do. She took his phone and after a moment flashed it back at him. And finally, Steve could see Danny again.

</p>
<p> </p><h6>Kapule Avenue</h6>
<p>One of Daiyu Mei's men entered the room where Danny was being held and shouted at him to wake him up. </p>
<p>"Hey! You!" </p>
<p>Annoyed, he sighed, because he heard a strange voice yelling at him.</p>
<p>"Danny."</p>
<p>Unsure, he raised his head, because now it seemed he heard a familiar voice calling his name. </p>
<p>"Danny?!" </p>
<p>Hoping, he opened his eyes, because he recognized that familiar voice. Steve? </p>
<p>"Danny! Hey!"</p>
<p>Disappointed, he realized that there was no one else except him and that man who, as Danny thought at first, probably tried to ruin his already poor vision. Otherwise he couldn't understand why the hell was he aiming that too bright phone screen at him. But in an instant he remembered that he had heard a voice. A well-known voice that made him focus his eyes really hard on the almost shining screen, because for him it was not good enough only to hear. He had to see. He needed to see. And luckily, this time the blurred picture slowly became more and more clear and he managed to recognize not only the voice, but the face, too. Steve.</p>
<p>But wait. Steve? How was that possible? How was he involved in all of this? He was gone, right? Or - not? No. No way. Steve was still on the mainland. Danny would've known if he was back to Hawaii, right? Yes. He would, of course. Steve would've told him. That's for sure. - Okay. He got it. As if it was not enough already, the concussion made him hallucinate. And that was definitely the very last thing he needed in his life at the moment. Fake Steve in Danny's head. Great. </p>
<p>"Danny! You okay? Hey!"</p>
<p>And Fake Steve was asking if he was okay. What a funny guy. Well, then let Danny point out the most interesting parts of the recent events of his life. He was kidnapped. He was beaten. He was bleeding. He was afraid of not seeing his kids again. And as the icing on the cake, his best friend was anywhere but here. Oh wait, except the fact that this friend actually decided to settle in his head to keep him company at least this way. Therefore when answering Steve's question, tired or not, Danny's sarcastic self had the need to speak.</p>
<p>"I'm perfectly fine. Just peachy, Steven."</p>
<p>For a moment, Steve was given a little hope. If Danny still had enough energy to make snarky comments, then maybe it was not as bad as it looked like, right? He really wanted to believe this theory, but then he had to admit to himself that it was probably even worse than it looked like. He knew that Danny often used sarcasm to protect himself, to disguise his fear. And this realization made him panicked even more.</p>
<p>"Danny, hold on! I'm coming, okay? Hold on!"</p>
<p>The combination of Steve's command on one side and his urgent plea on the other made Danny wonder. Was it only his own desperate wishful thinking or was his best friend actually really coming to help him? To rescue him? Was that the real Steve, after all? However, with his mind being not so cooperative right now, he would've needed to talk to this Steve little bit longer to be sure. Their communication so far was way too short to help him come to a conclusion.</p>
<p>Suddenly, Daiyu Mei ended the call and the screen went black.<br/>
The picture of Steve, fake or real, disappeared.<br/>
The picture of Danny, beaten, yet alive, disappeared.</p>
<p>"Sweet."</p>
<p>Pretending to be moved, Daiyu Mei summarized their short conversation.</p>
<p>"Hey!"</p>
<p>Steve yelled at her as his anger increased. His yell made her smile at first, but in a second her expression changed. She handed the phone back to him and waited. She met his requirement and now it was Steve's turn. She wanted something in return.</p>
<p>“Now give me the cipher.”</p>
<p>She was uncompromising. That's why Steve didn't hesitate even for a second and while he never took his eyes off the screen so he could check the coordinates, he reached to his back pocket and took a folded paper out of it. After he handed it to her, she carefully unfolded it making sure it was really there. The cipher. </p>
<p>“Good decision.”</p>
<p>She was pleased she made Steve her puppet and this made him feel sick. That's also why he was aware of the fact that spending even one more second with her would probably make him do something stupid, so he rather turned back and rushed to his truck. All he could think of at the moment was Danny and the need to get to him in time. That was all he cared about. And he knew the sooner he get to him, the better.</p>
<p>So far the trade went surprisingly yet suspiciously smooth. Daiyu Mei got her cipher. Steve got his… well, not Danny, but at least he got an address and a proof that Danny was still alive. </p>
<p>
  <em>And speaking about Danny… </em>
</p>
<p>Danny was, well, confused, to say at best. Due to all his difficulties it was very complicated for him to calm down and to think straight. But at any rate he had to try it. Closing his eyes, he frowned, took a deep breath and exhaled. He had to think. So. Let's assume Steve was really back. Somehow. Let's assume he knew about everything. Somehow. And let's assume he really was coming to save him. Somehow. – Well, that didn't sound believable. That sounded crazy, Danny thought to himself. But wait a minute. Steve was definitely one crazy person, right? Well, at least in Danny's eyes. And then there was this whole situation crazy enough to make Steve return to Hawaii so he could make his majestic entrance in the craziest way possible. And this crazy idea made Danny laugh. And his laughter was... crazy. He was actually so entertained that he had to warn the man who, while watching Danny, didn't bat an eye.  </p>
<p>“You know, I wouldn't put that phone away if I was you. I'd actually probably call your family. Tell 'em you love 'em. 'Coz if he is… Oh man, then you really have no idea what you stirred up.”</p>
<p>The man didn't consider his comments funny, though, so he punched Danny into his face to silence him. Then he turned back and walked to the door. But before he left the room for good, he stopped at that small table. He grabbed the washtub that was standing on it, turned back to Danny and threw all the cold water on him. Satisfied, he threw the empty washtub on the ground and left the room slamming the door shut. Well, if Danny was asleep when the man entered the room, he was definitely fully awake now when he was leaving it. Good thing was that the water helped to wash some of the blood off him. Bad thing was that its coldness didn't help his fever and shivering at all. </p>
<p>So hurry, Steve. Please. Hurry.</p>
<p>Steve. The fake one or the real one, Danny didn't care. Where the hell were you now, when he would really use your help? </p>
<p>
  <em>And speaking about Steve...</em>
</p>
<p>Steve was on his way to Danny, of course. The moment he got back into his car and started the engine, he speed-dialed Tani. And although it seemed she took the call probably in one second, he was driving over the speed limit already. </p>
<p>“Tani, yeah, it's me. Listen, I need an all-units alert. Send HPD SWAT to 2342 Kapule Avenue. Tell them that's where they're holding Danny. I-I'm ten minutes out, right? You tell them that, okay? And call Adam to be on guard, she may be coming soon.”</p>
<p>“You got it.” Tani replied.</p>
<p>He rushed through the Hawaiian streets constantly pressing the gas pedal as if it would make his car accelerate even more. But it simply couldn't. There was no such speed that would've matched with his need to be finally with Danny. </p>
<p>And while driving as a maniac, as Danny would definitely call it, Steve was breaking probably every traffic rule possible. Damn, he would even break every rule and all laws, if he had to. Anything, just to get to Danny in time. The only thing he couldn't break was the promise he made. He was coming. </p>
<p>So, hold on, Danny. Please. Hold on.</p>
<p>Because probably better than anyone, Steve knew all the ways these situations could turn out and that's why he had a hard time to shake all these possible what-if scenarios off his head during his crazy ride. He knew how mind of these people worked. And he definitely could imagine how Dayiu Mei's mind worked, too. </p>
<p>
  <em>And speaking about her...</em>
</p>
<p>She was quite pleased with the exchange, however she was not completely satisfied yet. But this was supposed to change soon. She sat back in her car and made a call giving instructions to those men left at the house where Danny was held. Of course they were expected to join her, but there was yet one task she had for them to fulfill first.</p>
<p>"McGarrett's on his way. Make sure he finds a dead man."</p>
<p>She had no scruples. She had no mercy. She had no conscience. Nevertheless there was one thing she clearly had. A strong need to make Steve suffer just like she did when he killed her husband. And then, right after that she will be finally satisfied. </p>
<p>So, do it. Finish him.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Feel free to comment/criticize.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Triple banana, bitch</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hallelujah, I just finished this chapter and here it is, full of mistakes as usual, my apologies.  And honestly, I can only hope you won't be disappointed with this.</p>
<p>I'm also sorry there is no Steve this time as it is just a little bit of Whump Danny here and little bit of BAMF Danny there. I actually didn't expect this short scene to make it into full chapter but after all Danny definitely deserves his moment, right? </p>
<p>The chapter's title is an actual line from the first season, I hope you remember it so you'll understand. I didn't know how to name it as there is absolutely no dialogue, so I chose this - why, you'll find out later in the chapter. And one more thing - I think the comments in italics could be Danny's, Steve's or the writer's/reader's, so it depends on you what you'll choose, what will work for you :-)</p>
<p>Discl. I own nothing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>Triple banana, bitch</h2><h6>Kapule Avenue</h6>
<p>After the man left the room, Danny must have admit one thing. Despite hating the thug for throwing cold water on him which only worsened his shivering, he was thankful for the effect the sudden coldness had on his brain as it helped it "jump into action" again. Not that all his difficulties miraculously disappeared as it was exactly right the opposite with him being now aware of all his troubles more than ever, but once he realized he was left in the room completely alone, for the first time actually, he knew he had to do something. Anything. Because just as it was for the first time, it could definitely be for the last time, too.  </p>
<p>Suddenly, Danny remembered two calls. He assumed the first one included his team and knew that if it really were his team members, his friends he was talking to, they will do anything to find him. But there was this big if. And then there was the second call... well, he wasn't sure if it was okay to even think about it, but he thought the second conversation included Steve telling him he is coming to help him, which all seemed so unlikely, but... Still, what if it really was him? Right now, for Danny it was just as impossible to believe as impossible to disprove. This was the biggest if of all those ifs. And the only way how to finally solve this mystery was to make sure and see him standing right in front of him with his very own eyes. </p>
<p>And just as he was no Miss Daisy to be constantly driven around to work and back everyday, he was definitely no damsel in distress waiting for her hero to save the day, either. Well, not that he was not in distress as he was actually pretty screwed and this situation was absolutely messed up, but it was not in his nature to just sit and wait. Or literally - to hang and wait, but never mind. He couldn't just wait for his team to find him, for Steve to save him or for a miracle to happen. </p>
<p>And even if help in any form could've been on its way right now, Danny wasn't sure how much time he actually had before the man return. He knew that even if someone would've found him, that particular someone could've found him actually too late. But there was still one thing he was sure about. He wouldn't give up without a fight and if he was supposed to go down, then he would definitely go down swinging. Battered, concussed, exhausted, whatever, yet still fighting until his very last breath. </p>
<p>But to make that happen, he needed to free himself from those damned handcuffs and chain first. Knowing he was tied up to the metal pole above his head only fueled his rising rage. And despite it wouldn't help anything, he shook his aching hands as if he was trying to shake those rusty manacles off. He simply desperately needed to release the boiling anger inside of him somehow. With another blood slowly appearing around his gashed wrists, he wanted to scream of anger but couldn't afford to catch anyone's attention, so he only sighed deeply in despair. What was he, a dog?! Damn, even dogs didn't deserve to be chained in one spot for hours. Or at all. He would never, ever allow anyone to do this to Eddie.</p>
<p>
  <em>Eddie...</em>
</p>
<p>Well, maybe he didn't show it but he deeply loved that big pup. Hiding his true feelings was just one of his protections and after all those years Steve could have probably written a whole book about it. But anyway, right now Danny swore to himself that if he would get out of this alive, he would never complain again about sleeping with Eddie's fur engulfed in his face. In fact he would let him sleep anywhere, the couch, the bed, wherever he wants. He wouldn't be even mad at him if he would eat his breakfast again. Damn, being so happy to have the chance to pet this dog once more, he would probably even cook and serve him the breakfast by himself.</p>
<p>However, even though Danny was amazing cook and fantastic baker, a simple idea of making breakfast brought on the feeling of nausea immediately, so he swallowed it down as he couldn't afford to spend the lack of time on some vomiting. Instead, he should rather use his time to figure out how to get rid of those chain handcuffs. </p>
<p>Sighing and frowning, knowing he was so not going to like it, Danny closed his eyes and despite his throbbing headache and stiff neck, he managed to tilt his head back. And as he expected, he didn't like it at all as this movement immediately made him dizzy and his neck became even more painful. However he had no other choice as he wanted to look at his cuffed hands above his head. He opened his eyes again to scan the manacles, the chain and the pole above his head and, knowing he was no MacGyver, considered his options. Actually, not that there were many, but he, being a cop, knew pretty well how these things worked. And as these manacles and chain were old and rusty, it was something that could definitely play into his hands, too. With a lot of luck, of course. And luck was something he could really use right now.</p>
<p>Still having his head tilted back and feeling his own pulse beating in it, he quickly estimated the chain's length, respectively the distance between his tied up hands and the construction above his head. Result? Another thing he definitely didn't want to do. And yet another thing he had to do, as there was no choice, no help, no time. </p>
<p>
  <em>Come on, man. You can do it. You can.</em>
</p>
<p>In fact, he was not so sure about that, but at least he could try it. But please, don't tell Steve, because once he would find out what Danny was capable of, he would definitely expect him to approve all his stupid, almost suicidal ideas. And what was worse, he would expect him to join in every time there would be an opportunity to almost get killed in the craziest way possible. But there was this one really impressive thing about Danny. Despite he usually tried to avoid these situations and having no special training, he was very capable of defending himself or finding the way out if he got into trouble. Just like now. </p>
<p>It was now or never. Inhale, exhale. Frowning and sighing in despair, Danny encouraged himself to jump up enough to grab the chain and began climbing it. And as he was forced to climb legless, just with his cuffed hands and sore arms doing all the work, it was then when he fully realized the impact of the constant tension his body was in. It was his shoulders. His arms. His head. His hands. Damn, even his fingertips. It was everything. The numbness he felt in every single part of his body was combined with sudden changes of sensation such as sharp aching or burning pain and that's why he was almost hundred percent sure his body had to inevitably fail him sooner or later. In fact the only thing he couldn't decide about was whether his muscles were going to give out because of the unbearable pain or because of the lack of sensation. But on other hand, the fact of not knowing for how long he could hold on motivated him to climb the chain as fast as he could, even if moving one hand over the other made those tight handcuffs cut into his aching gashed wrists yet deeper and deeper. Trying to distract himself from the sharp pain, he bit his already busted lip and continued. He stubbornly never stopped climbing even for a second.</p>
<p>
  <em>Keep goin'. You're doin' great.</em>
</p>
<p>After a moment he managed to climb high enough to grip the rusty metal pole above his head and clenching his jaw with eyes squeezed shut, he pulled himself up, groaning. However, hanging from the pole only with his hands carrying all his weight, he started to feel his arms and shoulders really could give out at any second. He knew he immediately had to do something to avoid the fall. So with all his might Danny quickly raised his legs all the way up so he could wrapped them around the pole. </p>
<p>
  <em>Jesus.</em>
</p>
<p>The abrupt change of position helped to lessen the strain on his hands and shoulders as it spread his body weight more evenly. That was the good thing. The bad thing was that if he felt dizzy before, then now, after this little gymnastics, he felt like throwing up in every minute. Breathing through the new round of nausea, he tried hard not to think about hanging on to the pole, about 13 feet above the ground, just like some kind of a crazy sloth. Or a bored monkey. Monkey.</p>
<p>
  <em>Gracie…</em>
</p>
<p>His eyes got watery immediately, except this time it was not because of all the physical pain he was undoubtedly in. This time it was one simple thought of his beloved daughter that made him emotional. He just wanted to see Grace's beautiful face again, to hear her lovely laugh again. He wished he could hug his little girl tight at least one more time and absolutely didn't care whether she, being actually a young lady now, would feel embarrassed or not. He would do anything in the world just to hear her calling him "Danno" again and he really meant it as he promised himself all those years ago that once he had to move to Hawaii to be with her, he would do everything he could to make that hellhole a better place. Anything, just to make sure his daughter was safe. That's why remembering the threats about his kids forced him to quickly pull himself together and god knows where he found enough strength and energy to continue. </p>
<p>Danny locked both his feet around the metal pole and began to move his legs as if he was climbing it. He had to draw his feet close enough so he could reach the boots with his fingers, because there, inside the end of one of his shoe laces, was a metal pin hidden. Yes, being a cop for years have taught him a lot of things and this one was one of them. </p>
<p>Finally taking the pin out of the shoe lace, Danny bent his wrists that much so he could grope for one of the screws attaching his handcuffs to the chain. This movement was unbelievably painful as the manacles almost sliced his already cut and gashed skin around his wrists. And on the top of that his hands were shaking so at this point it was impossible for him to place the pin into the slot on the screw's head, even if he really tried hard. Knowing he had to calm down immediately otherwise he was not going to make it, Danny closed his eyes and took few deep breaths. Thankfully this helped a lot because then he, absolutely concentrated and feeling it only with his fingers, placed the pin into the screw's head and began to twist it. And then, after couple of seconds he finally made it. He managed to separate his handcuffs from the chain so it was now only his own hands' tight grip on the pole that was preventing him from falling to the ground. </p>
<p>One problem solved, another one occurred. Feeling his hands and arms got more and more weak every second, Danny briefly scanned the old metal construction, considered the distances from the walls, the height he was hanging at and his, in fact not the best, condition and came to a simple conclusion. He would have to be a superhero just like Spiderman to get out of there easily and unharmed. And as far as he knew, Spiderman definitely was not his secret identity, although he was pretty sure Charlie would have loved that idea.</p>
<p>
  <em>Charlie…</em>
</p>
<p>The little boy always thought of Danny as an indestructible superhero and of course he surely had to know the truth one day, but Danny didn't want him to find out so soon and especially not this way. And besides, even though he secretly wished for Charlie to never grow up and to stay that awesome little kid forever, Danny of course really wanted to be there to see him becoming young gentleman as he simply couldn't stand the idea of missing another years of his boy's life. There were so many things he wanted to teach him. There were so many baseball games he wanted to take him to. There were so many insane stories about Uncle Steve the Crazy guy he wanted to tell him just like he did at Christmas when Charlie was worried miracles aren't real. Oh man, Danny wished for all of this to turn into a crazy story he could tell him one day, a story that would have served as another proof that miracles and happy endings really do happen in real life. But sometimes one can't just rely solely on luck itself. Sometimes one had to make his own luck. And that was exactly what he was going to do as he was sure he had to do even the impossible to come alive out of this mess. After all, just like the superheroes do, right? </p>
<p>But despite the fact most of the superheroes would have probably casually flown out of here right now, the only thing he could do was to fall to the ground. He knew he couldn't handle it much longer as he had cramps in his arms now, ready to give out at any moment. Still hanging on to the pole, Danny briefly looked down which only made him dizzy again, but what else he could do. Nothing. There was no other option. He swung his legs down so they were hanging freely now with him hanging from the pole like a dead weight. He sighed, squeezed his eyes shut expecting hard landing and released his grip on the pole. He fell onto the ground.</p>
<p>
  <em>Ouch, that doesn't look good.</em>
</p>
<p>The moment his legs hit the ground he felt it. A sudden pop in his right knee. An intense wave of needling pain going through it made Danny almost collapse just as the fact that his knee gave out and it took a lot to not lost all the stability. For a few seconds he felt like he dislocated his knee. Being literally on all his fours, Danny frowned, lowered his head, gritted his teeth and sighed with pain in his face. </p>
<p>
  <em>Hope it's not the ACL again...</em>
</p>
<p>Yes. It was the ACL. Again. However, even if it would be perfectly understandable at the moment, there was no time for whining as a sudden noise coming from behind the closed door distracted him. </p>
<p>
  <em>What was that?</em>
</p>
<p>Kneeling on the ground now, Danny froze and strained his ears. It looked like he completely forgot about his hurt knee, but presumably it was just because it really didn't hurt that much anymore as the most intense pain was actually gone after first few seconds. That's why he got up back on his feet quite quickly, even though his right leg remained feeling strange. It was numb and weak around his knee so it was pretty difficult to straighten the injured leg, yet somehow he managed to walk, hobbling a little. He knew he was going to regret this movement, but damn, who would have cared about it right now; he can deal with its consequences later in the future. </p>
<p>
  <em>The future? Then move your ass to make sure there will be one.</em>
</p>
<p>He was stubborn enough to overcome a lot so far and that's why there was absolutely no way one broken knee could've stopped him. Even if he should crawl out of there, he would. But right now, as he stood up quickly, another wave of nausea washed over him, so he instinctively squeezed his eyes shut for a few seconds. </p>
<p>
  <em>Just breathe through it.</em>
</p>
<p>Danny breathed a sigh of relief as the moment passed quite quickly, thankfully. When opening his eyes again, his gaze immediately landed on a subject that was lying on the ground. This put a smile on his face as he realized he could definitely use that. Yes. He knew exactly what to do. But being honest, with his hands still being handcuffed, there wasn't much else he could do anyway so he grabbed the washtub with both his hands and ducked with it into the corner right next to the door. His head was hurting. His heart was racing. He was waiting. </p>
<p>
  <em>Come on, come on...</em>
</p>
<p>Just as he was anxiously listening to the increasing sound of the footsteps indicating someone was coming closer and closer from the outside, his breath became shorter and shorter. He felt his frantic heartbeat in his head and listened to the blood thrumming in his ears. He knew he wouldn't be given another chance to strike out, so he gripped the washtub as tight as he could, his knuckles white. This was not going to be the first chance. This was going to be the only chance. Danny sucked in another breath to calm down and exhaled. </p>
<p>
  <em>Take it easy, alright? Focus.</em>
</p>
<p>Suddenly the door slammed open. It was that man who punched him and threw the water on him few minutes ago. And it was that one who was given clear and simple instructions to take care of him, which was also the reason he came back. To obey the order. To fulfill his task. However, right after he rushed through the door with his gun pointing, ready to shoot immediately, the man froze. He was taken aback. He was left absolutely perplexed when he didn't find their prisoner being tied up and hanging there right in front of him. How was that possible? Their hostage was a Detective. No Houdini. No Copperfield. Still confused, he lowered his gun a little and looked up at the metal construction above his head. Nobody. Nothing. What the...? And then it happened. The man was lowering his head as he intended to look around, to search for their guest, to find his target, to kill the prisoner. However, he was never given a chance to do any of it, because Danny simply didn't give him this chance. Beaten, concussed and exhausted, he hit him with the washtub with all his might left. And that still must've been one hell of a hit as the man lost grip of his gun and fell on the ground, losing his consciousness in a second. </p>
<p>
  <em>Good job! You still have it in you. </em>
</p>
<p>Danny remained warily watching the lying man for a few seconds to make sure he is not going to strike back somehow. Luckily, it looked like he was not going to wake up anytime soon so Danny could just throw the washtub away. Clenching his jaw, he knelt down on his good knee as carefully as possible and quickly searched the motionless man and all his pockets hoping to find anything useful, preferably the keys to his handcuffs, of course, constantly controlling the man's face for any signs of possible waking up. Being nervous for running out of time, his aching hands shook and sweated slightly. He needed anything now. He needed the keys now. </p>
<p>
  <em>Thank God!</em>
</p>
<p>He sighed in relief as one of those pockets hid the real treasure - the keys. Danny was so excited to find them that the sudden wave of euphoria made his hands stop shaking which was great because it helped him to uncuff his hands much more faster. </p>
<p>
  <em>Finally!</em>
</p>
<p>The clanking sound of those rusty handcuffs falling to the ground echoed inside the room. The moment he freed his hands from the manacles' tight grip for good Danny felt huge relief, yet he also felt strong burning pain in all those still bleeding gashes all around his wrists. He sighed painfully as it hurt just to look at them, let alone to move them. But wait a second.</p>
<p>
  <em>You hear that? Someone is coming.</em>
</p>
<p>Hearing another approaching footsteps, Danny was back on the alert in a second and everything that followed happened in the blink of an eye as he had absolutely no time to form a single thought about what was going to happen and what he was going to do. Totally ignoring his sore wrists and with the speed of an angry tiger, he instinctively grabbed the gun from the ground without even looking at it and the moment he aimed at the door he saw it. He saw a gun. He saw a finger on a trigger. He saw a man ready to kill him. </p>
<p>
  <em>You know the drill, man. You know the rules.</em>
</p>
<p>Kill or be killed. The fastest one wins. So... Three shots. Three shots and the man bit the dust. Surprised. Dead.</p>
<p>
  <em>1:0</em>
</p>
<p>For a couple of seconds there was complete silence as Danny, surrounded by two lying thugs now and with his heart slamming against his ribs, remained in the kneeling position, still aiming his gun at the open door. Just in case another goon would like to join his buddies. </p>
<p>
  <em>Clear. Move. Let's move!</em>
</p>
<p>Relieved he didn't hear anyone else coming, frowning and grinding his teeth, he stood up, grunting. That hurt knee was giving him one hell of a hard time. But again, no time for whining. He stepped back never taking his eyes and gun off those two intruders and came cautiously to the second man's body. He studied it for a few seconds and as one of those three shots was near the man's heart and a lot of blood was seeping from the holes quite quickly, there was no doubt he was dead. Reassured, Danny grabbed the thug's gun and put it behind his belt, knowing he would probably use it. He didn't have a solid plan, though. But wait, if escaping could be called a plan, then yes, he actually had one. He had to escape from that place no matter how difficult and painful it was going to be, no matter how much it was going to cost. No matter how many thugs he had to kill. They wanted to play? They wanted to mess with him? Well, then... Okay. Challenge accepted. Keep them coming. He will shoot them all, one after one. He will shoot his way out. And as he was obviously done here, now it was the right time to leave that damned room. </p>
<p>
  <em>So, who's next?</em>
</p>
<p>While he was rushing to the door, he caught a glimpse of a slight movement. It was the unconscious man, the first thug, and he was probably waking up. Probably, because... Shot. One perfectly aimed shot and the man never got a chance to fully wake up. In fact, he didn't deserve that chance as it was the one who beat Danny the most. It was the one who threw the water on him. And Danny hated water. Danny hated him. He hated him for everything he had done to him, and most of all he couldn't stand the fact that he tried to shoot him dead. So without any hesitation, without any concern, without mercy, damn, even without looking at him, Danny shot him. Just like that. Just to make sure. And now the man was dead. For sure.</p>
<p>
  <em>2:0</em>
</p>
<p>Before stepping into the basement hallway, Danny scanned its surroundings briefly. It was brightened with rays of sunlight and it seemed clear, so he entered, yet had to blink his eyes a lot as the sunlight falling on the wall was too strong and his still very sensitive eyes had hard time adjusting to that sudden brightness. Not to mention it didn't help his throbbing headache at all. However the only thing he could do was to try to ignore it as he had to be constantly on guard, ready to react immediately if needed. That's why he breathed through it, gripped his gun so tight his knuckles turned white and walked down the hallway next to the wall with his gun aiming all the time, still limping slightly. </p>
<p>
  <em>Go, go, go! You can rest later.</em>
</p>
<p>All of a sudden another man appeared from round the corner and Danny found himself facing this thug whose finger was about to squeeze the trigger now, yet Danny still was a hair faster. One - two - three. Three shots and the man hit the wall with his back, dropped his gun and slid down to the ground, dead. </p>
<p>
  <em>3:0</em>
</p>
<p>With cold and determined look in his eyes, Danny stepped over the lying body and being totally goal-directed, he made his way through the hallway to the staircase at its end. He felt a shiver ran all over his body, yet he wasn't sure whether it was because of his fever or because of the surge of adrenaline in his body. Maybe both, it didn't matter. Because shivering or not, limping or not, dizzy or not, nothing could've stopped him. No one could. Not even the fourth armed man suddenly appearing in the door above the stairs. Two shots. </p>
<p>
  <em>Nice reflexes.</em>
</p>
<p>Being hit to his chest, the force immediately knocked the man down, falling the stairs right towards Danny who only casually stepped aside to avoid the collision and waited for the body to land at his feet. Dead.</p>
<p>
  <em>4:0</em>
</p>
<p>With absolutely no concern or emotion overall, Danny glanced at the lifeless body and kicked the weapon away from it, just to make sure. Force of habit, you know. He stepped over the dead man and looked at the staircase in front of him, respectively he looked up to the open door at the top of the stairs.</p>
<p>
  <em>And here comes a whole new level.</em>
</p>
<p>This was going to be difficult. This was going to be painful. There was no doubt about it. But even this couldn't stop him. His will to get out of this place was simply stronger than any possible kind of pain. Sighing, Danny wiped the sweat off his forehead with his right forearm, still holding the gun in his hand firmly and encouraged himself to do it. To climb the stairs. Aware of the fact he needed some support, he switched the gun from his right to his left hand and never stopped aiming it above at the entrance. He held on the old handrail with his now free right hand, sucked a deep breath in and out and clenched his jaw. He frowned and grunted as every step upstairs meant a kick to his already injured knee and a hammer-blow to his head. Stubbornly trying to ignore the pain with every fiber of his being, he somehow managed to walk up the stairs quite quickly while he never took his eyes off the door above the stairs.</p>
<p>
  <em>You did it!</em>
</p>
<p>Danny successfully reached the door. Now, even more then before he was completely fueled by the crazy mixture of blessed adrenaline, pure anger and endless desire to get out of here. He felt if he managed to get that far just on his own, then maybe he really could escape, period. The more steps he made, both literally and figuratively, the more determined he was. The more bad guys he killed, the more fueled he felt. It was like living his own version of Ms. Pac-Man. And he used to be damn good at it. <em>Triple banana, bitch. </em>Right? Well, except this time he wasn't trapped in an animated maze in a video game. This time he was trapped in an abandoned house in real life. This time he wasn't supposed to avoid contact with four monsters. This time he was supposed to face and kill four thugs. And this time he wasn't supposed to get his power from eating some energizers or fruits, either. This time he was supposed to find the will, the strength and the energy deep down inside of him. He could only hope that this twisted real-life version of his once favorite game was going to end soon with him celebrating the win. </p>
<p>
  <em>Careful. Just be careful.</em>
</p>
<p>Before entering the next room, Danny stopped at the open door, switched his gun back to his right hand and ducked, scanning the main room's surroundings. It seemed empty, so there was no reason to hesitate. He took a deep breath and with his gun pointing, he rushed straight through the room to reach the front door. Still watching his own back, he felt so excited and so anxious at the same time as it all was so close. The door, the daylight, the freedom. It was plain and simple. Grab the knob, open the door. And so he did, quickly yet still carefully. But something was not right. Something was different. </p>
<p>
  <em>Wait...</em>
</p>
<p>Maybe he just was not careful enough. Or maybe he just was not fast enough. Or maybe it just wasn't important at all right now, as outside, behind the closed front door, was that fifth man waiting for him. The one faster than Danny, the one giving no chance to him. One man, one gun, one shot. One shot and all Danny's efforts were in vain. The time stood still as Danny hit the door with his back and he, not losing only the grip of his gun, but also his breath, fell hard backwards onto the ground.</p>
<p>
  <em>Game over.</em>
</p>
<p>At least that was what the shooter was thinking and honestly, there was no wonder he considered Danny if not dead already, then dying definitely in every minute. That's why the thug, being in a hurry, was satisfied with his job and run away. He had to join his boss as soon as possible anyway.</p>
<p>However, Danny wasn't dead.</p>
<p>When the unexpected shot and its force knocked him to the ground, he let out a low groan as he felt the air was sucked out of his lungs. He was left there lying with the gunshot wound to the left side of his chest, with the puddle of blood slowly expanding beneath him. </p>
<p>But in fact, the moment he got hit and fell on the ground, Danny didn't feel any pain. There was just this weird wave of feeling hot and wet on his left side combined with numbness in the area where the bullet tore into his chest. He also realized he couldn't lift his left arm all the way up, so he instinctively wanted to roll to his left side, reaching to the fresh wound with his right hand, sighing. Trying to raise his head to get better look at the damage, he had to roll back immediately. He groaned, closed his eyes and laid his head back on the ground as it fully hit him now. </p>
<p>A hot intense pain. A horrible burning sensation growing outward from the hole. Rapid breathing. And a lot of bleeding. A way too much bleeding that should have been stopped or at least slowed down. So even though he became incredibly quickly very weak and dizzy, Danny unwillingly opened his eyes again and using only his right hand, he managed to slowly tear a piece of fabric from the bottom of his shirt. Doing it with only one hand was very difficult itself, not to mention that his hand started shaking and the fact that he became very asleep wasn't helpful, either. Having real trouble to keep his eyes open, he slowly rolled the torn fabric and applied it carefully as an improvised bandage underneath his shirt, directly to the entrance wound. </p>
<p>He sighed painfully and laid his right arm on the ground. He knew he should've put a pressure on the wound, yet right now he didn't have enough strength to do it. His left hand was numb and his right hand was too weak. </p>
<p>And he was tired. In fact, he was terribly exhausted. He knew he should do the same with the exit wound, but hold on. Wait a minute. Who said he had to do it right now. He would definitely deserve some rest, after all, right? It was a really hard day today so he would take only a short break and then he would definitely continue. Deal? Don't worry, he didn't forget what the plan was. Get out of here to be with his kids again. But right now, if you wouldn't mind, he would like to close his heavy eyes and take a short nap. And even if you would mind, he didn't care at all because he already did it. He closed his eyes. Just for a second. Or a minute. Or two. Or maybe five. And if he was lucky, maybe he would have dreamt about his loved ones. </p>
<p>Because he could see it. The sun would have been slowly setting down. He would have been sitting in his chair at Steve's backyard, drinking beer. Grace would have been lying on the beach, probably texting with some schmuck, and Charlie would have been playing around with Eddie. And Steve, well,...</p>
<p>But anyway, yes. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to dream this one particular dream. And with every fiber of his being, he wanted to be there. And he wished to be there right now, so he, with a slight smile on his face, definitely let the blackness invited him into its comforting arms. </p>
<p>Thankfully, there was no pain anymore, there was nothing to worry about.</p>
<p>Finally, there was his own peace.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I can only hope this chapter was not a big disappointment... And if you want, feel free to leave a comment :-)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. I got you</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>It' s been a while since my last update but I'm back, finally, so here's another chapter that I've just finished - if anyone is still interested, actually :-) As always, I'm sorry for all the mistakes (and I'm pretty sure there are plenty of them). But now I guess it's time for the rescue...</p>
<p>Discl.: I own nothing.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>I got you</h2><h6>Kapule Avenue</h6>
<p>The place seemed abandoned as it was disturbingly quiet and with no one to be seen around. The quite long driveway to the house obviously wasn't maintained for a while now as it was surrounded by long grass that was slowly blowing in the light summer wind like the waves of the ocean. And it seemed this was the only movement outside the house as there simply wasn't absolutely anything to indicate what had happen there; no guns, no people. No gunshots, no fighting, let alone fighting for life. There was nothing, just silence. Dead silence.  </p>
<p>But the ominous quietness of that place was gone for good the moment Steve's truck, after rushing up the driveway with the speed of light, hit the brakes and the clouds of dust lifted off the ground. Jumping out of the car he abruptly stopped at the side of the house, he grabbed his gun out of its holster, quickly looked around and began to run along the wall towards the front door, ducking. And even from quite distance he could see the entrance door was already open which, even if only for a second, gave him hope that Danny was maybe able to free himself and managed to escape. He so wanted to believe it with all his heart, he so wanted this wishful thinking to be true but, without ever questioning Danny's abilities, it was Daiyu Mei's word he simply couldn't trust at all. </p>
<p>Knowing it could be the easiest trap to fall into, Steve tightened his grip of the gun so much that his knuckles turned white and he, slowing his pace, prepared himself to disable any attacker that could've been waiting inside the house. With each step he made nearer to the door, the level of adrenaline in his blood increased. With every single step his heart was beating faster because he felt he had to be close. Danny had to be close. And finally, aiming his gun and being ready for a possible fight, he reached the open front door and cautiously stepped inside. And then it happened. Seeing something he wasn't ready for, something that, though deep down he had feared it, he could have never been prepared for in his whole life, Steve's world stopped.</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh God, no...</em>
</p>
<p>The moment he entered the house he saw someone lying on the floor alarmingly still and in the expanding puddle of blood, only a few steps in front of him. It was just one second but he didn't need more anyway to know who that person was.</p>
<p>
  <em>Danny...</em>
</p>
<p>It was this one second that made him feel as if the air was knocked right out of him and as if his legs could give up at any moment. But despite being shocked, he briefly scanned the room and its surroundings, still aiming his gun, only to find out there really was no threat as there was no one else around. No one, just the one unmoving man lying on the ground. </p>
<p>Reassured that there was at least no attacker in his view, Steve immediately returned his sight to the lifeless body and felt a knife must've been stabbed right into his heart. Almost forgetting how to breathe and trying to hold back the tears, he was so devastated and unable to speak that he only managed to instinctively whisper his partner's name.</p>
<p>"Danny..."</p>
<p>
  <em>Well, if the situation Steve was in could be described as stressful at best, the right word for the one Danny was in would be peaceful, because he found himself sitting on one of those old wooden chairs at Steve's beach, resting with his eyes closed, smiling happily. He was obviously enjoying the moment - well, just until the very moment he thought he had heard his partner. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>...Steve? Why the hell are you whispering? </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Naturally expecting an answer, he was confused as he didn't get any. So after couple of seconds of waiting, he opened his eyes and turned his head to the left, looking at the wooden chair next to him, expecting Steve to be sitting there. But realizing there was actually no one, he frowned. The chair was empty. Okay, maybe it was just the sound of the wind or the ocean; or maybe it was his mind or his heart making fun of him, whatever. Never mind, he rather sat back and returned his sight to the view he had right in front of him. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And what a magnificent view it was. Watching the sun slowly setting down, he thought to himself that Steve was definitely right. The sunsets could really be something special, something amazingly beautiful. But certainly not as beautiful as his beloved daughter, as his Grace who was lying there on the beach, grinning at her phone while she was probably texting with some schmuck that usually overprotective Danny decided he could for once deal with later. He didn't want to destroy this moment, he didn't want to worry about anything right now; he just wanted to enjoy their time together as much as did Charlie who was laughing with all his heart as he was running and playing around with Eddie. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Glad the kids were happy, Danny smiled. With the cold beer bottle in his hand, with the sun warming his skin and with the refreshing breeze playing with his hair, he found himself being happy, too. He thought to himself he must've finally found his peace because this was almost everything he ever wanted. This was almost perfect. Almost, because... Never mind. Nothing is perfect, right? Still, he felt so grateful. Maybe even for the first time he didn't even worry that this wouldn't last forever because it felt that time simply didn't exist. And with the calming sound of crashing ocean waves and rustling palm leaves in the background, he closed his eyes again, savoring this precious moment with every fiber of his being.</em>
</p>
<p>On the contrary, the experience Steve was going through right now was anything but enjoyable. He couldn't see Danny moving, let alone smiling. He could only see his beaten and seriously injured partner being covered in a lot of blood and lying there way too still. This devastating view Steve had was the very opposite of the Danny's relaxing one, so it was no wonder it was a real struggle not to get lost in a sudden wave of panic. And yes, although he often acted as the brave NAVY Seal unafraid of probably anything, and of course to some extent he was like that, he was also just a deeply caring and protective man with his own hidden fears, feelings and emotions. A man whose greatest fear was coming to life right in front of his very own eyes. But thankfully the perfectly trained and skilled Seal inside of him won this battle as it took Steve in fact only a second to recover control of his actions and emotions so he instantly holstered his gun and rushed to Danny's right side, sliding down to his knees. And stubbornly refusing to accept that maybe he did arrive too late, he began frantically searching for a sign of a pulse on Danny's neck.</p>
<p>
  <em>Come on, Danny, come on! Open your eyes! Open your eyes for me, buddy!</em>
</p>
<p>Steve's terrified eyes literally begged for a chance to meet with those familiar blue eyes again. However, seeing how somehow calm and relaxed Danny's face actually was, Steve's face mirrored nothing but pure anxiety and desperation. Damn, he had to wake up. Steve had to wake him up. And even though he was beyond scared, he managed to find his voice again so he was able to call his partner's name, still trying to find a pulse with his own shaking fingers.</p>
<p>"Danny?!"</p>
<p>
  <em>Hearing his name being called louder this time and realizing he had to be right before, he sighed. No. No wind, no ocean. Steve. It was definitely him because it made perfect sense. It was typical Steve trying to disturb this moment as usual. And even though Danny opened his eyes, annoyed, he didn't bother to turn to look where Steve probably was; instead, he took a draught from his beer to calm down, swallowed the cold liquid and slightly turned his head to the side.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Don't you dare to tell me we have a case. I just want one moment. One moment with my children that is not affected by this job!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>He simply couldn't believe it. Did he really want that much? Did he really asked that much? He didn't think so. But once again getting no response from his partner, he sighed and unwillingly turned back expecting to see him at least coming out of the house towards the beach. Yet again, he couldn't see him anywhere. Confused even more, Danny brought his eyebrows together because he didn't understand what was going on with his partner. But anyway, no. If Steve wanted something, then it was him who was supposed to come to Danny, not the other way round, so Danny turned back to the ocean only to be relieved that nothing has changed. The kids were still there having fun, the late sun was still tenderly warming his skin and the gentle swishing sound of palm leaves was still helping to calm his mind. He felt peaceful again.</em>
</p>
<p>In fact, the more peaceful Danny's world was, the more stressful Steve's reality became as it seemed like each second took eternity. But then, finally, after couple more seconds, horrifying seconds, he could feel a weak pulse on Danny's neck. Both unbelievably relieved and scared, Steve yelled pleadingly as if he was trying to wake him up from a nightmare, having no idea he was actually ruining his dream.  </p>
<p>"Danny! Hey!"</p>
<p>
  <em>Danny sighed deeply and shook his head in disbelief. He started to be mad at his partner who was once again only to be heard and nowhere to be seen. Steve really did know what to do to push Danny's buttons and to make him grumble.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>What is the matter with you, huh?! Is this a hide and seek or what? Seriously, man, I'm done with games today. I just want to enjoy this moment with my kids, okay? Thank you. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Hoping he made his statement loud and clear, Danny only wondered now why either Grace or Charlie didn't react to all the yelling. But maybe it was not that weird, after all. Grace was just probably too busy texting and Charlie was probably just too busy having fun with Eddie. Not to mention that both of them were probably too used to all the bantering between their dad and Uncle Steve, so why to bother to even raise their eyes. Quite satisfied with his theory, Danny decided to close his eyes again, expecting the sound of waves could help him to calm down one more time.</em>
</p>
<p>Well, the only sound that could help Steve to calm down at the moment would be the sound of Danny's voice. Not that he would've ever admitted it to his partner but hearing Danny complaining would be a music to his ears now. Yet unfortunately, still unable to wake Danny up, the only thing he could hear was his own fast heartbeat and the sneaking thought suggesting that after all, this could be it. The end.</p>
<p>
  <em>Don't you do this to me, buddy, okay? Don't you die to me here, you understand?! Not now. Not here. Not like this.</em>
</p>
<p>Even though his mind was telling him he should probably start to accept the cruel reality, Steve was not that type that gave up easily which was actually one of the things he had in common with Danny. And with his gaze landing on the gunshot wound, the overwhelming fear of loosing Danny made him try it once more, shouting something between urgent command and desperate pleading that came right from the bottom of his shattered heart.</p>
<p>"Danny! Come on! Come back to me!"</p>
<p>
  <em>Okay, fine. That was enough. Becoming quite angry now, Danny opened his eyes, gritted his teeth and took a deep breath in and out. He tightened his grip of the beer bottle so much that it was miracle he didn't broke it and tried to persuade himself to not react this time. Unfortunately it didn't help at all, it only made it worse as the anger boiled inside of him because it simply wasn't in his nature to stay silent.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh, come on! Are you serious?! Can I die in peace, please?!</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>In a second, realizing what he had just said, Danny quickly moved forward on the chair, shocked. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Wait. What? That was weird. Did I just say - die? Who is dying? Am I dying? No, no, no. No way.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Not only he was completely taken aback by words he had said, but the sudden and significant change of his once peaceful surroundings disconcerted him, too. The only thing that probably didn't change was the place he was at because he was still at Steve's backyard, however the setting sun was not warming his skin anymore as it was hidden behind sinister dark clouds now. Instead, there was this unpleasant coldness of wind that made him shiver and raging storm on the ocean that made him nervous. This was definitely not going to be some light summer rain so the kids should rather pack their stuff and hide. He wanted to urge them to run to the house, however was left absolutely bewildered as he looked around and couldn't see them anywhere. It looked as if they have never been there, actually. No laughter to be heard, no footsteps to be seen. It was only him being there left completely alone and he didn't like it at all. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>What the hell happened, where is everybody? Grace? Charlie? What the hell is going on here, Steve? Steve?! </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And as if all of it was not enough already to make him panic, he was scared realizing he felt now what he didn't feel before. He felt his heart struggling to beat. But it was still beating. He felt his lungs struggling to take in air. But he was still breathing. He felt his body struggling to deal with the enormous pain. But he was still alive.</em>
</p>
<p>And that was it. Suddenly opening his terrified eyes wide and desperately gasping for some air as if he was drowning, Danny was finally awake as he came back from his once beautiful dream to his horrible reality.</p>
<p>"Hey! Hey, there you go!"</p>
<p>Sighing deeply, Steve briefly closed his eyes in great relief. Danny was back. The hope was back. He felt his eyes were quickly filling with tears of both happiness and fear as he immediately opened them again to make sure the light in Danny's eyes was still there. It was, thankfully, but knowing it could fade away at any moment, Steve swallowed, suppressed the tears and quickly composed himself. There was no time for his possible mental breakdown because there was no time, period. The only thing that mattered right now was Danny and his safety.</p>
<p>"Okay, it's all right, buddy. All right."</p>
<p>This voice. This deep soothing voice. And because this voice was definitely much more closer than a moment before on the beach, it must've meant that Steve had to be pretty close now, too. Yes, it undoubtedly must've been Steve that was at Danny's right side, however Danny's vision was too blurred and his eyes were too unfocused to be able to recognize the face. So he, fearing he could loose his partner's reassuring presence once again, didn't even think about it and instinctively raised his left hand towards the man as if he wanted to grab him only to prevent him from disappearing to him like an illusion.</p>
<p>
  <em>Steve...</em>
</p>
<p>Unfortunately, his injury didn't let him to at least slightly touch his partner because he wasn't even able to lift his arm properly. The sudden wave of pain this simple movement caused became almost unbearable as it felt like a bunch of knives was stabbing right into the whole left side of his chest, expanding to his shoulder and arm while his left hand felt strangely numb. Not to mention that terrible pounding headache wasn't very helpful either. And while he started to lower his arm back to the ground, completely overwhelmed by pain, his tired eyes, too heavy to keep open, slid shut.</p>
<p>Steve's eyes, on the contrary, were open very wide. He almost didn't even blink as he was running on adrenaline, pretty aware of absolutely everything that was happening both so quickly and so slowly at the same time. He felt Danny's weak pulse despite his own trembling fingers that he was trying to keep still; he saw Danny's unfocused eyes despite his own eyes filled with the tears that he was trying to suppress; he heard Danny's short and painful breaths despite all the thoughts echoing in his ears that he decided to ignore. And of course he noticed Danny's vain attempt to touch him, so he, probably just one second before his hand could fall back to the ground, grabbed it only to be terrified even more, realizing how cold and weak his friend's hand actually was as it felt there was neither strength nor life in it. </p>
<p>"I'm right here, buddy. It's okay."</p>
<p>Although his eyes were telling totally different story, Steve managed to keep his voice calm and his face brave, constantly reassuring his partner that everything will be fine, wishing that he was not lying and hoping that Danny could hear him or at least feel him holding his hand. However despite him wanting to hold that weak hand like forever, Steve inevitably had to put it on Danny's abdomen to make his own hands free so he could briefly check the gunshot wound and the damage it had made. And even though he turned Danny to see the exit wound as gently as he could, it  made the injured man frowning and groaning painfully. </p>
<p>"Okay. It's okay. You keep groaning, all right?"</p>
<p>Keep groaning. Yes, that was something he definitely could do. Better said, it was probably the only thing he was able to do. But to Steve it was enough because it meant Danny was still breathing, still fighting.</p>
<p>Anyway, after brief examination of the exit hole, with his right hand now covered with blood, Steve carefully lowered Danny back onto the ground to check the entrance wound, too. Cautiously lifting Danny's shirt so he could look at the improvised bandage Danny had made from his once purely white shirt that was now completely soaked with blood, Steve sighed clenching his jaw. This was so not good. They had to move, they really had to immediately get out of there. </p>
<p>"Come here, put your right hand behind my head."</p>
<p>Steve, pretty aware of the fact that they were terribly running out of time and that probably every muscle in Danny's body was useless now, said it more likely to prepare his partner for what he was going to do by himself than to encourage him to move his hand. That's why he didn't wait for anything, lifted Danny's right hand and placed it behind his neck, quickly yet carefully, while he was still reassuring the moaning man that everything will be all right, even though Danny's hand lolling over Steve's shoulder felt so, so wrong. </p>
<p>"Good, you're doin' good. Just hold on, buddy, okay? Just hold on. I need you to help me get you up on your feet, okay? On three."</p>
<p>Getting another painful groan as the only response, Steve simply had to take it as an approval for action, so he put his left hand beneath Danny's back, ready to push him upwards, and tightened his grip of the weak hand that was hanging over his shoulder. He had to swallow a lump that immediately formed in his throat the moment he touched all the bruises, cuts and dried blood around Danny's wrist. The last thing he wanted was to cause his partner even more pain than he was already in but this all was inevitable as this was the only way he could help Danny to get up on his feet and to get out of there.</p>
<p>"One, two, three, come on. Come on!"</p>
<p>Being as careful as he could while standing up, Steve gritted his teeth, drawing most of Danny's weight up with him, and frowned while unsuccessfully tried to ignore the loud painful groan that Danny involuntarily had made. And once they were both finally standing on their feet again, Steve quickly placed his left hand around Danny's waist to support him and prevent him from falling which could in fact happen very easily. Not only that Danny's body was very weak and his legs were pretty wobbly, but on the top of that all the moving made him feel terribly dizzy. </p>
<p>"Easy, Danny, easy. It's okay."</p>
<p>Despite hearing the clock ticking in his head, Steve patiently waited until Danny will adapt to the sudden change of position. Anyway, most likely thanks to the rest of adrenaline that his body was yet able to produce, Danny surprisingly managed to compose himself quite quickly. Frowning, he swallowed the sudden wave of nausea and found the courage to open his eyes. And even though he was staring somewhere to the ground, the very slight nod he gave to his partner meant he was ready to start moving. So then, with Steve carrying most of Danny's weight, they began to walk being as if they were locked together, literally making one careful step after the other. And although it has been four years already, Steve remembered as if it was yesterday when they were in a very similar position, yet in totally different situation. It was back then on Maui when he accidentally signed them to couple's therapy and they had to compete with other couples in the three-legged race that ended up with Danny injuring is ankle only because Steve wanted to get out of the therapy session. So as usual, it was Steve's fault. This time, noticing Danny's hobbling, he could only guess what had probably happened to his partner's leg but there was this one thing he was dead sure about. It was his fault, too. </p>
<p>And with every single injury Steve had discovered so far, he knew he needed to get Danny to the hospital the sooner the better. And although he knew that to Danny they were probably moving too fast, to him they were moving way too slow. If only they could go faster. If only they could run or even better fly. But despite Danny called him like this probably thousand times, Steve really was no Superman, so the only thing he was able to do now was to tighten his grip around Danny's hand and waist, being afraid his friend's weak legs could give up for good at any moment. </p>
<p>"I'm right here, buddy. I'm right here."</p>
<p>After they reached the door and slowly walked out of the house, Steve, in fact for the first time since he had found him, had to take his eyes off Danny to quickly visually measure the distance from where they were to the place he had parked his red Silverado few minutes ago. It was actually not that far but it still almost made him cry. Of course he was truly grateful and more than proud that Danny had found enough strength to walk, even if barely, but considering his condition, the distance to the truck and their pace, it only reminded him how terribly far away from the hospital they were. </p>
<p>Steve's mind was so busy with staying calm, his eyes were so busy with controlling his partner's slow steps and his ears were so busy with listening to his painful breaths that he wasn't almost oblivious of all the cars that were arriving to the house. He was so focused on Danny that nothing else mattered. Was it the rest of the Five-0 team coming to help them? Great. He could use their help so he wouldn't have to leave Danny even if for one second. Was it Dayiu Mei's other men coming to kill them? Okay. He would kill them all, protecting Danny with his own body, never leaving him. So whoever was arriving, one thing was sure. Steve was not going to leave Danny's side at whatever it takes.</p>
<p>And as he promised, so he did. Cautiously guiding Danny towards the truck, he tightened his grip around him even more while all the fully geared HPD SWAT members jumped out of their cars and run through the stirred up clouds of dust towards the house so they could secure the place and it surroundings. And with the dust falling back to the ground, he could see the rest of the cavalry - it was their team. Or better said it was a part of it as it was Lou, Tani and Junior who arrived and who were left there standing by their cars, completely shocked and speechless. On one hand they were deeply relieved to see both of them being alive, yet on the other hand the view they had was heartbreaking. They saw Steve supporting Danny with all his might. They saw the one being devastated physically, the other one emotionally. The desperation in Steve's eyes despite him trying to keep his face brave and Danny's empty stare proving he was far away from this time and space despite him trying to stay awake spoke for itself. It was bad. </p>
<p>"Door, get the door!"</p>
<p>Hearing Steve's pleading command, Tani didn't hesitate even for a second, rushed to Steve's truck and right after she opened the door, she quickly moved to the driver's seat. </p>
<p>"I'll drive!" </p>
<p>Steve was so focused on Danny and his condition that he probably didn't even notice who exactly was opening the car's door and who was going to drive. Usually he would fight over the driving yet right now he was actually glad he didn't have to do it as it allowed him, as he promised to himself before, to stay at Danny's side all the time. So when the two of them finally reached Steve's truck, Tani was already behind the wheel, ready to start the engine in a blink of an eye and to race to the hospital in a record time. </p>
<p>"Okay, climb in. I need you to climb in, all right?"</p>
<p>Steve said, carefully removing Danny's trembling arm from around his shoulders, and encouraged the injured man to get into the backseat.  </p>
<p>"I'm right behind you, buddy. Get in. It's all right. It's okay. I got you, I got you."</p>
<p>Repeating those words as a mantra and still carrying most of Danny's weight, Steve reassured his partner that he had his back as always. They were each other's backup no matter what. And despite being so concerned, Steve was also impressed as he watched Danny climbing in. He didn't know how the hell he managed to do it, considering his condition, but somehow he climbed inside, even though it obviously took a lot out of him as he was visibly in too much pain, frowning and groaning. But after all, he made it; he got there because Steve asked him to and Danny, even though he usually didn't like Steve's ideas, always trusted him with all his heart and soul. </p>
<p>Steve followed immediately and once he was seated close to Danny, he helped him to lie down into his lap. And the moment Danny put his weakened body into the protective grip of Steve's strong arms, he closed his eyes and drifted to the merciful unconsciousness again, feeling was finally safe now.</p>
<p>Helplessly watching the heart-wrenching scene in the rearview mirror with both her hands squeezing the steering wheel, Tani waited for one particular command to come. And just right after Lou handed Steve a pressure pack and slammed the truck's door shut, the keenly awaited Steve's command came. </p>
<p>"All right, go! Go!"</p>
<p>With the dust being stirred up behind the car and with the crime scene quickly disappearing in the distance behind them, the race to the hospital begun. Using his right hand, Steve grabbed the phone from one of his cargo pants' pockets to dial the number of the hospital, keeping pressure on the gunshot wound with his left hand. However to be even able to make the call, he had to look out of the window as this was the only thing that could distract him otherwise he wouldn't be able to form even the simplest sentence. So watching the landscape and actually seeing anything, he managed to keep his voice from shaking and made the call.</p>
<p>"This is Commander Steve McGarrett of the Five-O Task Force. I got a patient coming in. GSW to the chest, all right? I need surgeons prepped and ready for him when I get there. I'm bringing him in myself, all right? - Yes, good. - Go, go, go!"</p>
<p>Once finished, Steve quickly put the phone back into the pocket and looked at Danny's pale skin, at his bruised and bloodied face, at his chest struggling to rise and fall. He pressed harder against the wound.</p>
<p>Blinking away all the tears that started to form in his terrified eyes again, Steve had really hard time coping with the fact that it was Danny lying there so vulnerable in his arms, that it was his parnter's life he was holding in his hands. He was so relieved that he was finally with him, that he had found him, that he wished he could give his partner probably the tightest hug ever. If only he could press Danny to his chest to comfort him, to convince him he was safe now. If only he could feel Danny's warm breath on his nape, his steady heartbeat on his chest and his strong body in his arms. If only he could feel life running through his friend's body.</p>
<p>But wish was one thing, reality another. Still pressing hard on the wound with his left hand, trying to stop the flow, Steve stubbornly refused to admit that despite his best efforts he felt the life was leaving Danny's shivering body with every single blood drop that was uncompromisingly seeping through his fingers and that there was nothing he could do to stop it. Not only he felt terribly guilty already, he felt so helpless, totally useless, because he had absolutely no control over the situation and in fact, the only thing he could do right now was to make Danny as comfortable during the ride as possible. So, using his now free right hand, he carefully lifted Danny's left hand a little and, being aware of how sore it had to be because of all the visible cuts, scrapes a dried blood around the wrist, took a hold of the weak, almost lifeless hand and squeezed it very gently to reassure his partner that he was still right here with him.</p>
<p>"It's okay, buddy, it's okay."</p>
<p>
  <em>You're gonna be okay.</em>
</p>
<p>Knowing words were not enough as Danny most likely couldn't hear them, Steve started to stroke Danny's hand with his thumb, hoping he could at least somehow feel the caring and comforting touch.</p>
<p>"Just hold on, Danno."</p>
<p>
  <em>My Danno.</em>
</p>
<p>And the more weaker Danny's hand felt, the more stronger Steve's hold of it was. He hoped that deep inside, or somewhere where Danny was now, he did feel the same as this, Steve holding Danny's hand, this gentle touch, this simple connection, meant everything. </p>
<p>"Just hold on."</p>
<p>
  <em>Hold on, babe.</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Babe. </em>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. I know this is hard</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here we go with another chapter and I would like to say I am so, so thankful for every single comment, for kudos, you have probably no idea.  It's really encouraging me to continue because everytime I'm posting a new chapter I'm afraid it's not good enough. I'm actually convinced it's so horrible that I think I should stop. I'm asking myself why did I even start - in my whole life I have never written anything like this even in my mother language, let alone in English, but then I remember the real finale and... here we are. So once again, thank you, thank you, thank you :-) </p><p>And honestly, once you'll find this fic terrible, feel free to tell me. I know it's far from perfect and full of mistakes of all kinds.</p><p>One more thing - as I said before, I didn't like the whole cipher/crypt/money thing so I'm not focusing on it but I had to include it somehow, however I'm not sure it makes any sense. I just didn' t want to think about it, let alone write about it. But I guess, after all, this is not the content you are here for :-)</p><p>Discl.: I own nothing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>I know this is hard</h2><h6>Kings Medical Center</h6><p>Speeding to the hospital, Tani drove like a maniac. She drove over the speed limits, jumped traffic lights and broke all the traffic rules. In fact, in a different situation, Danny would've been mad and concerned, gesturing wildly as usual, while Steve would've been proud and excited, smiling triumphantly. Well, not for nothing Tani and Junior sometimes called them "mom and dad". However, now it was definitely not like this. This time Danny was not awake and aware of his surroundings, let alone of the whole frantic ride, and Steve, oblivious of anything else, was too focused on Danny and his wellbeing that he didn't pay any attention to the driver and his driving skills. In fact, the car could've been driven by the God himself and he wouldn't give a damn. </p><p>Steve also successfully ignored the fact that his own muscles were in tension because he was holding Danny during the whole ride in the same position as tightly yet gently as possible so he, as a result, started to feel slight cramps all over his arms and hans. It almost felt he wouldn't be able to release the grip of his partner's limp body even if he wanted to. Which, being honest, was something he actually didn't want to do anyway.</p><p>
  <em>We're almost there, buddy. We're almost there.</em>
</p><p>Approaching to the hospital entrance, Tani saw the medical staff awaiting their arrival, ready to jump into action at any moment. She stopped the truck, immediately opened the driver's door and jumped out of it, the medics already hurrying towards the car.</p><p>"Help! We need help here!" she shouted, running around the car to open the door for the medics so they could have better access to their patient. Holding the door, she only helplessly watched the medical staff do their job.</p><p>There were three of them. The first one caught a hold of Danny's lifeless legs while the second one helped his colleague to pull their patient out of the car. Nevertheless, they could've never made it without Steve's help, who, still supporting Danny's limp body, carefully pushed him forward. And then there was the third medic standing right next to them at the car, waiting there with a gurney.</p><p>"Got him? You got him?!" Steve questioned, worried. Moving Danny into those medic's arms, it was so hard to even imagine he was not going to have Danny in his own protective grip anymore that he immediately needed to be reassured his partner was going to be in good hands. </p><p>Finally able to cautiously grab their patient under his shoulders, the second medic quickly confirmed "We got him, Sir! Don't worry, we got him!" </p><p>Sighing, Steve released his grip on his partner, pleading "Careful! Be careful!" as he watched them putting his unconscious friend on the gurney while he himself quickly climbed out of the truck.</p><p>And the moment both partners were finally out of the car and rushing to the ER with Danny lying on the gurney and Steve at his side again, Tani slammed the car's door shut, ran back to the driver's seat and drove away to park the car, noticing in the rearview mirror that Lou and Junior were already arriving.</p><p> </p>
<h6>The ER</h6><p>The double doors swung open as Steve and three medics burst into the ER with Danny lying on a gurney while two doctors, a man and a woman, hurried towards them, ready to take care of their patient. </p><p>"Uh, GSW to the chest. In and out of consciousness. His pulse is thready," said Steve the moment he noticed them, knowing every second counted, keeping pressure on Danny's wound.</p><p>"Okay," the doctor nodded and stopped the gurney to briefly check Danny's condition, which was deteriorating quite rapidly. </p><p>"Let's get two IV lines, run them wide open. Infuse two units O negative. All right? Let's go!" she ordered, knowing they were racing against time.</p><p>All of a sudden, Danny got conscious for a brief moment. And even if he was beyond exhausted, his eyes too heavy to open to see Steve's face, his mind not able to identify the voices he heard, somehow he knew Steve was right there at his left side. </p><p>"St..." he mumbled, struggling even to breathe, let alone to finish a simple word, a name, and, just like back then in the house, he tried to lift his feeble left hand at least a little so he could find and grasp his partner's hand again. Because although he might've been told thousand times that Steve was still there at his side, he simply needed to touch him to make sure.  </p><p>Noticing the slight movement, Steve immediately reassured him. "Hey, I'm with you, bud. It's okay," while gently taking a hold of his friend's weak hand once again.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Commander, I cannot let you go with him," the doctor reminded, noticing the strong bond between the two partners, the struggle to let each other go.</p><p>Steve was aware of it. And he was afraid of it. He knew that the best thing he could do for Danny right now was to give the doctors time and space to do their job and that was the reason why he didn't protest; that was the reason why he didn't say anything. And in fact, he didn't even have to because his pleading and terrified eyes were screaming it anyway.</p><p>
  <em>No, please, no, I gotta go with him, I gotta stay with him! I promised...</em>
</p><p>However, nothing could change the fact that the rules were set and there were absolutely no exceptions. So even though the doctor saw the fear for his partner's life that was written all over Steve's face, empathic yet adamant, he stopped him, raising his hand. </p><p>"Commander, wait here. You need to wait here."</p><p>Wait? How was he supposed to just wait?! Of course Steve's mind understood, however, try to explain it to his heart; to a scared control freak's heart. So no wonder he had to force himself to slow his steps despite the medical staff started to wheel Danny much faster. </p><p>The frustration Steve felt was huge. Their holding hands were their only connection and he felt both literally and figuratively the distance between the two of them increased, because, with Danny being wheeled away more and more faster, their hold couldn't last any longer. Steve lowered his sight back at Danny and even though it happened in a blink of an eye, to him it was like in a slow motion when he saw and felt he was losing the hold of his friend's hand for good. It was Danny's palm slipping out of his grip first only to be immediately followed by Danny's weak fingers. And then there was no touch at all as Danny's limp hand fell back onto the gurney with all its weight. </p><p>Helpless, Steve stopped right in front of the swinging double doors and watched Danny being taken to the pre-op room, surrounded by perfectly coordinated nurses and doctors. He was watching his friend until the very last moment possible, only hoping it was not the last time he saw him. </p><p>
  <em>Hang in there, buddy...</em>
</p><p>With Danny no longer in the line of his sight, Steve backed away from the doors, feeling as if the world was falling apart; feeling that he himself was about to fall apart. To get himself some support, he leaned his back against the nearest wall and lowered his head, looking somewhere to the ground, unable to think about anything. And probably just one second before he could surrender to his fear, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tani, Junior and Lou rushing into the ER, hurrying towards him. With every quick step they made closer to him, their worried looks intensified. He could feel their eyes staring at him, asking for any information, begging for encouraging news. Nevertheless, right now he was not able to look at them as he simply couldn't look into their eyes, afraid of what he was going to see. He was sure their eyes would've been like mirrors, reflecting his own failure, his own guilt, his own remorse, even though no one in fact didn't even think about blaming him for what happened. Not even for a second. However, he was convinced they should've blamed him. And definitely not for a second, but forever. </p><p>Sighing, Steve lifted his head, leaned it back against the wall and stared at the wall across from him. He knew losing it right now wouldn't help anything at all, so he closed his glazed eyes and tried to breath through all the fear and anxiety, hoping it could help him to put himself back together. However, one deep breath in and out was enough to make him realize the torturous déjà-vu he was having at the moment, because, inhaling the typical hospital smell, an indescribable mixture of disinfectants and medicines, a hardly forgettable combination of fears and hopes, it immediately triggered all the bad memories from ten years ago.</p><p>
  <em>The hospital was different, however the fear - the fear he felt for his partner's life was just the same, even if back then, not that long after the very beginning of both their partnership and friendship, he couldn't quite understand yet what was it, what actually made their bond so strong and so special. But thankfully, he was blessed with ten another years of being together. He was given hopefully enough time to find out. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Nevertheless that was something he naturally couldn't have known that day as he was scared he was going to loose Danny who was fighting for his life after being exposed to sarin. Because of Wo Fat. Because of Steve. And even with his eyes closed now, he could see the terrifying picture of him breathlessly following the gurney with Danny lying unresponsive on it just as good as he could hear the frantic conversation he had with the doctor. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>BP is 72 over 40, breathing slow and shallow. How long since the last exposure?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>About 20, 30 minutes.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>What kind of toxin?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My team's working on it...</em>
</p><p>
  <em>You better hurry, because I don't know how much time he has!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>I don't know how much time he has... this sentence was ringing in his head yet many times right after one of the doctors stopped him, asking him to wait there while they rushed Danny to the examination room. Desperate, he ran his hand through his hair and looked around completely helpless. And his despair only increased the moment he realized that there was something he had to take care of. Danno's Monkey. Danny's beloved Gracie. That lovely brown-eyed little girl with two ponytails stole his heart from the very first moment he met her and he immediately considered her his own daughter. That's why it was so difficult for him to pick her up after school and told her as carefully as he could what happened to her Danno. And her innocent eyes just as her sweet voice didn't make it any easier though. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Uncle Steve!</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Hey, kiddo.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Where's daddy?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Listen, Gracie. Danno's, uh, Danno's not feeling the best, okay? So I'm gonna take you to the hospital. We're gonna go see him. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Is he going to be okay?</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Is he gonna be okay? Let me tell you something about your father. He might not talk like it, but he's one tough guy. And he's brave, as well. Can you be brave like Danno? Yeah? Are you sure? Then we should go see him. What are you waiting for? Come on.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>And right after they began to walk together to the silver Camaro, the vivid memory Steve was reliving faded away as he was brought back to reality, hearing some strange voice talking to him from a distance. </em>
</p><p>"Sir? Excuse me, sir?"</p><p>Sighing, Steve slowly opened his eyes, however he didn't bother to look at the person that was talking to him. He kept staring at the wall across from him.</p><p>"Sir, are you okay? I think you should -"</p><p>He didn't even let the nice nurse finish the sentence, interrupting her. "Yeah, I'm fine. It's nothing, I'm all right. But, uh, thank you." </p><p>"Okay, well, I'll be right there," she said, although she was convinced that at least his burnt arm should've been taken care of. However, she understood and left, almost apologetically looking at the rest of the team.</p><p>Steve sighed deeply and looked above to the ceiling as if he was pleading some higher power to help him, to give him enough strength. </p><p>The team exchanged worried looks.</p><p>"Boss...?"</p><p>Tani asked carefully, being afraid of what she might've been told and unsure what reaction she might've got. </p><p>Steve lowered his head again, finally looked at the team and, not saying anything, moved to walk toward the exit door. </p><p>"Steve? Wha - Wait... Where are you going, man?" Lou asked, being as confused as the others while they watched Steve going past them. It took couple of seconds before he got an answer, if it could be called an answer, actually.</p><p>"I gotta go," he said back without even looking at them and then, throwing the double doors open, he left.</p><p> </p>
<h6>Cemetery</h6><p>While Tani, Junior and Lou were left waiting in the hospital for any news about Danny, the rest of the team, fully geared up Adam, Quinn and Lincoln, together with HPD SWAT members, were waiting at the cemetery for Daiyu Mei and her goons to appear. They were ready for a fight, guns loaded and aimed. They were holding perfect positions for an ambush, however, the place was quiet and peaceful as it was supposed to be after all, and there was just nothing indicating any unusual activity. </p><p>"I don't know, guys, it doesn't look like she's gonna show up here. Maybe she wasn't able to crack the cipher, after all?" Lincoln asked, staying focused, aware of his surroundings. </p><p>"I seriously doubt it," Quinn opposed, aiming her gun.</p><p>"Yeah," Adam agreed with her, "I'm pretty sure she has someone who's ready to crack it for her. We gotta wait. It's just a matter of time."</p><p>"Yeah, I guess you're right, but then what if - " Lincoln couldn't finish his thought as he finally saw two black vans arriving. "Guys, it's her. She's here."</p><p>"Okay, get ready," Adam announced, watching some men jumping out of the vans, covering, running toward the crypt. "On three."</p><p>"Copy that", Quinn confirmed.</p><p>"Three, two, one... Moving, now!"</p><p>And while they set in motion their plan to ambush them, to catch them in the act, the sounds of an unexpected gunfire behind their backs began to ring as all hell broke loose.</p><p>"Cover yourself!" Adam shouted, bullets flying over their heads, realizing those men were a simple bait, because a whole army of another goons showed up behind them. Because Dayiu Mei was damn smart. She was pure evil. And most of all, she wasn't even there.</p><p> </p>
<h6>Kings Medical Center, corridor</h6><p>Steve found himself standing alone at the end of one of those long hospital corridors. He had absolutely no idea where exactly he was, what wing, what floor, what building; because right after he left the ER, he just went and went, trying to find some - if possible - empty and quiet space. </p><p>Once he had found it, he briefly scanned his surroundings. Row of empty seats, two restrooms. Stairs, an elevator, windows. A chapel. And thankfully, not a single person around to be seen.</p><p>He fleetingly looked out of a window, however if anyone would've asked him what did he see there, what was the weather like or even what daytime it was, he wouldn't known the right answer as he was not aware of what was happening out there. And in all honesty, he didn't care at all. </p><p>He grabbed his phone out of his pant's pocket, his hands and fingers still covered with dried blood, and searched through the contact list until he found the name he was searching for.</p><p>
  <em>Grace.</em>
</p><p>In fact, Steve didn't have to think twice who he was going to call first. The close relationship he and Grace had had always been based on both mutual love and honesty, so he knew it simply had to be him who was going to break bad news to her. However, even though she wasn't that little girl anymore so she, being older and more mature now, was able to deal with the tough reality, she was still her dad's little daughter, Danno's Monkey, and her dad was still her hero, Gracie's Danno. And that's the reason why it was so unbelievably hard to reveal to her what happened.</p><p>Being nervous so much his heart was racing, he took a deep breath in and out and pressed the dial button, his fingers trembling slightly. It was ringing. It was ringing and ringing and ringing right until it stopped. And his heart almost stopped, too, because the call was picked up and he could hear that well-known and obviously cheerful voice on the other end of the line.</p><p>"Hey, Uncle Steve!"</p><p>Three words and his heart was breaking. His chest tightened. His throat tightened. How the hell would he explain to her what happened. How on earth would he ever be able to look into her big brown eyes again. She trusted him with her father's life and he failed. He failed them both. God. Could it be any worse? Could it be any harder? Oh, of course it could. And it was. From a distance, he could hear Charlie, who, once he realized his sister was talking to Steve on her phone, became very excited by the thought of saying hello to their favorite Uncle. That's the reason why Steve could almost immediately hear Rachel, gently rebuking Charlie for disturbing his sister's call. Hearing all the lively chatter, Steve frowned and squeezed his eyes shut, sighing in despair and running his hand over his face. They were together. All the people Danny loved and cared about. And at the same time, the people Steve was convinced he failed. </p><p>He felt his throat tightened even more he wasn't sure whether he was going to be able to say a single word, however, somehow, he was. He even managed to keep his own voice from shaking when he, opening his eyes again, finally found enough courage to tell Grace that her dad had been seriously injured and that he was in surgery now. </p><p>The torturous silence that followed was broken with Grace's shaking voice, asking a simple question; the question Steve was probably afraid of the most.</p><p>"Is daddy going to be okay?" she asked worriedly as if she was that little pony-tailed girl once again.</p><p>The fact he couldn't give her the answer she needed to hear was just killing him. He so wanted to hug her and to reassure her that her dad was going to be all right, however, he couldn't lie to her. </p><p>"I, uh, I don't know. I just don't know, sweetie. But we gotta hope, we gotta believe, okay?"</p><p>"Okay," she said after a moment, worried. And Steve knew how hard it must've been for her as he himself lost both his parents.  </p><p>"Gracie, sweetheart, listen to me. Danno is, uh, he is tough. He is the strongest, the bravest man I know. And he is not gonna give up without a fight, you know that, right? So we gotta believe in him, okay?"</p><p>"I know, Uncle Steve. I just can't... I mean I'm so... "</p><p>"Yeah, I know, honey, I know. Me too..."</p><p>Neither Grace, nor Steve was able to say it, however both of them knew it; they knew what the other meant, what the other felt. They were both so scared. Both of them couldn't lose their Danno.</p><p>And as if one difficult conversation was not enough, Steve had to talk to Rachel, too, because noticing the significant change in her daughter's expression, she demanded to talk to him, which was perfectly understandable as she could hear only tidbits of their conversation. Naturally, she wanted to hear herself what happened to her kids' father, so Steve had to go through all this once again and even though he surely wanted to call Rachel, too, he was not prepared for it. And he was only thankful he didn't have to go through it for the third time and to reveal difficult news to Charlie, too. </p><p>Right after Rachel assured him they were going to book the first flight to Oahu to be there as soon as possible, they ended the call. And it was definitely the right time because Steve felt it really started to be too much. Putting his phone back to his pants' pocket, he sat down onto one of those empty seats and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees, lowering his head. And just a second before he could put his head into his hands, he stopped. He stopped and began to stare at all the dried blood. Danny's blood. It was everywhere. It was all over his hands, his palms, his fingers. This was so wrong. How could everything turn so wrong. Sighing, he sat back and leaned his head against the wall. Exhaling deeply, he began to stare at the wall across from him and after a while, after he realized what he was actually staring at, he immediately knew what he had to do. He quickly got up, went towards the door and slamming the door open, he entered the room.</p><p>It was one of those two restrooms. </p><p>Stepping inside he switched on the light and walked straight to the basin. He opened the faucet all the way and began frantically yet thoroughly washing his hands with soap under the flowing water. And the more blood it helped to wash away, the more aggressively he actually scrubbed his hands as if it could help to wash away his guilt, too. It didn't. Then he splashed water over his face. It didn't help, either. Desperate that nothing could rid him of the guilt he felt, he abruptly closed the faucet and rested his hands on the basin, hanging his head, sighing. He needed to calm down. Unfortunately, the moment he closed his eyes so he could fully focus on calming his breathing, haunting voices began to ring in his head.</p><p>He could hear Joe White so clearly it seemed he had to be standing right there at his side, patting his shoulder.</p><p>
  <em>You got to ask yourself, son - how many more lives is that gonna cost?</em>
</p><p>Steve wanted to run away. He felt the guilt was eating him up inside, however, before he could compose himself, he immediately felt even worse because his father figure's voice was unexpectedly replaced by Daiyu Mei's malicious voice.</p><p>
  <em>Don't allow a loved one to die because of your stubbornness.</em>
</p><p>He wanted to scream. He felt the anger boiling in him so much he wanted to punch into something. But before he could do anything to relieve his rage, he remembered worried Grace and her pleading question that stabbed him right into his heart.</p><p>
  <em>Is daddy going to be okay?</em>
</p><p>He wanted to cry. He felt the tears forming behind his closed eyelids, so he squeezed his eyes even more, preventing the tears from falling down his cheeks. He really needed to get himself together, to gain control over his emotions again. He tightened his grip of the basin so much his knuckles turned white and clenched his jaw, trying to fight down both the anger and despair he felt. Then he lifted his head up, opened his eyes and for a moment he stared at himself in the mirror above the sink. Looking at the reflection of his face, of the man responsible for everything that happened, he wanted to punch his fist into the mirror with all his might. Nevertheless, after a while he changed his mind.</p><p>
  <em>Stop. Enough. That's enough.</em>
</p><p>Despite both anger and guilt were still visible in his eyes and both fear and exhaustion were still written all over his face, remembering what he had said to Grace about Danny never giving up, he knew he couldn't give it up either. He had to believe, too. He had to believe in Danny's will to live, because, after all, nothing was lost yet.</p><p> </p>
<h6>King's Medical Center, main lobby</h6><p>The team was already waiting in the hospital's main lobby for a while when Lou got a call from Adam. And hearing about the set-up, he was only thankful his colleagues, his friends, were miraculously alive and that there were only minor injuries among them and the HPD SWAT members. At least they finally found out what was this all about, what was hidden in the crypt and what Daiyu Mei wanted so much she was willing to kill for it. Money. Because that was where the "good" news were ending.</p><p>Dayiu Mei, the person who wanted one of their own dead, was gone.<br/>
Money, the reason why she started all this, was gone with her.</p><p>Lou closed his eyes, sighing. "Well, if that's true, she ain't gonna be here much longer. Listen. Do whatever you want, do whatever you can, but find her, okay? Find her. We're almost out of time. - Okay, good. Keep us posted," he said, finishing the call while he, just like Tani and Junior did, noticed Steve was entering the room. </p><p>Steve felt their compassionate stares landing on him once again, so he, stubbornly ignoring them, went straight to the end of the room, stopping at the window. And although he avoided any eye contact as he began to stare outside, he knew Lou was slowly approaching him.</p><p>"Hey, man. Did you, uh, did you call Rachel? Grace?" he asked carefully, only assuming that was the reason why Steve left the ER so quickly.</p><p>"Yeah, I did," Steve confirmed after a moment of silence, sighing, hoping Lou was not going to ask anything else because the last thing he needed at the moment was a conversation about how the call went.</p><p>And in fact, he was heard as Lou only lowered his sight and nodded in understanding which was something Steve, still staring somewhere out of the window, couldn't see. Lou really didn't want any more details, knowing pretty well how difficult it always was to deliver bad news to family members, let alone when it came to their own family, to their own loved ones. </p><p>"Any news from Adam?" Steve asked after another moment of silence, slightly turning his head and sight to the side where Lou was standing, his voice not sounding concerned though. </p><p>"Well, uh," Lou hesitated whether to tell him the whole version or not, but immediately he came to a conclusion that right now he should skip the part about the set-up, gunfire and injuries, being aware of the fact Steve felt terribly guilty already so he definitely didn't need another burden on his shoulders. "She's gone, she didn't even show up."</p><p>Even just mentioning her without even hearing her name or seeing her face made him fill with rage, blood boiling in his veins. Steve returned his sight to the view outside the window.</p><p>"Find her," he said, his voice deadly serious, his eyes full of hate.</p><p>
  <em>Kill her.</em>
</p><p>Standing there silently, Lou placed his hand on Steve's shoulder and gave a little squeeze, not saying anything. Actually, no words were needed because Lou understood. He also knew Steve needed to deal with things on his own so after a moment he walked away, giving him much-needed space. </p><p>And Steve was thankful because, even though deep down he truly appreciated their concerns, he felt so miserable he simply wanted to be left alone. Left alone with his fear, with his guilt, with his desperation. And the longer they were waiting, the more restless and nervous he was. Needing to relieve at least a part of the overwhelming stress he felt, he turned away from the window and began walking back and forth between two pillars that were in the waiting room, worrying. However it didn't took long until he stopped, thinking that Danny would've most likely said he was pacing there like a maniac, only disturbing people. And damn, at different circumstances, he would've been probably annoyed by his sarcastic comment, however - not know. Right now he would've been unbelievably happy to hear any of his criticism. And this unfortunately only reminded him that maybe he was going to never hear it ever again.</p><p>Running his hand over his face, sighing, he leaned his right side against one of those pillars, his back directed to the waiting area, to his team. It was not hard to understand his body language. </p><p>
  <em>Leave me alone.</em>
</p><p>Nervously checking his watch, he was in fact absolutely oblivious of the actual time he saw, because it could take an hour or two just as it could take a whole day, a month or a year. To him, there was no difference. To him, there was only eternity as time didn't exist anymore. He just knew that everything took way too long and went way too wrong. And that he certainly arrived way too late.</p><p>The rest of the team felt about the same. It was like each member had his own heavy cloud of fear above his head and a haunting shadow of guilt behind his back, uncompromisingly following them anywhere they would go. And Junior was no exception. He was sitting on a chair, his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together, his eyes glazed as he was obviously lost in his thoughts. Why didn't he pay more attention to Danny's suspicion of being followed during those two months when Steve was gone? Why did he let Danny play it down like he always did when he didn't want to bother his friends with his own problems? Why, why, why. Too many questions, too little answers. </p><p>The waiting was hard, the atmosphere was heavy. And with the tension growing more and more with every passing second, minute and hour, Tani, leaning against the table, broke the unbearable silence.</p><p>"Why is this taking so long? They haven't given us any news yet or is it a good sign?"</p><p>She directed her question at Lou who seemed to be the only one in the room able to give comfort and to hold a simple conversation at the moment. And she was right. This was in fact something Lou had in common with Danny. Maybe it was because of them being the only fathers in the team so they tended to comfort the younger team members just like fathers comforts their children that everything is going to be okay after they woke up from a horrible nightmare. Or maybe it was just in their nature. Or maybe Lou just remembered how incredibly thankful he was for having someone to rely on back then when they were in hospital, waiting for any news about Steve who got shot at the plane and almost died. That horrible day it was Chin, who, always calm and sympathetic, came to him and comforted him. So now, at this another awful day, Lou guessed it was his turn to play that part.</p><p>“I know this is hard. But it's all in God's hands now. The only thing we can do is be here for Danny and pray for him.“ </p><p>Tani looked aside and nodded, hoping Lou wouldn't notice her struggle to keep her faith through these difficult times. But of course he could recognize all the doubts and all the worries that were hidden behind her eyes, because deep down he simply had them, too. </p><p>“Come on, chin up, kiddo. It's gonna be all right, okay? It's gonna be all right.” </p><p>Patting her shoulder and trying to comfort her with a compassionate smile, Lou noticed Steve moved suddenly. And after a few seconds he found out why. The doctor was coming. The awaited moment was here. </p><p>Watching the woman walking towards him made Steve alert immediately. The serious expression on her face made his stomach clench and his heart beat unbelievably fast, because, despite the fact her face was hardly readable, his fear made him read her expression very quickly and very clearly. God, he knew it. It must've been bad; it definitively must've been the worst. Otherwise she would've smiled at least a little, right? Or not? Was she just so used to these situations, strictly professional, expressing no emotions? Or was she just terribly tired after difficult surgery she had to perform? Damn, his anxious mind was offering so many explanations at once and he, overwhelmed with his own fear, was not able to think rationally or calmly to pick just one. </p><p>So once the doctor was finally close enough, Steve couldn't wait anymore and to quit this dreadful struggle, he swallowed a lump in his tightened throat and encouraged himself to say something, fidgeting his hands nervously.</p><p>“Hey. How's, uh… What's going on?” he asked, his voice shaking, his eyes pleading, fidgeting with his now trembling hands even more.</p><p>They all were fixing their eyes on the doctor, holding their breaths, waiting. Actually, it took maybe one second before she finally answered the question, but it was definitely the longest second ever.</p><p>“He just got out of surgery and he's stable for now.” </p><p>
  <em>Thank God.</em>
</p><p>The relief was palpable as Tani, Lou and Junior, unable to speak yet, breathed a huge collective sigh of relief and exchanged their happy looks. </p><p>On the contrary, Steve's eyes didn't even blink or twitch. He kept staring at the doctor, the words she said ringing in his head. </p><p>
  <em>Stable for now. For now. </em>
</p><p>"Okay," was all he managed to say, preparing himself for the inevitable "but" to come. And he was right.</p><p>"We just cleared a big hurdle, but we're not entirely out of the woods yet," she said, the concern obvious in her eyes and voice. </p><p>
  <em>Not out of the woods yet. Not yet.</em>
</p><p>"All right," Steve nodded in understanding and asked nervously "Can I - can I, can I see him?"</p><p>
  <em>Please. I need to see him.</em>
</p><p>“Yeah, sure. Come.”</p><p>“Okay,” he said, sighing in relief, quite surprised he wasn't asked to wait yet longer and followed the woman anywhere she was leading him to. His heart started to beat faster. He was going to see Danny again. Because, even though Danny didn't win his battle yet, he was still fighting, still alive. </p><p>Hope was still alive.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Come on, babe</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I'm so, so very sorry for the delay. Real life became pretty difficult so please bear with me it's taking me so long to post new chapters. As always, I'm so grateful for the support, for kudos, for every single comment - it really means a lot! Anyway, I'm not so sure about this chapter but I guess it's the best I could do at the moment so I decided to post it the way it is. </p><p>As usual, I'm sorry for mistakes, nonsense... And I have zero medical knowledge (which is pretty obvious).</p><p>Discl.: I own nothing.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <h2>Come on, babe</h2>
<h6>Kings Medical Center</h6><p> </p><p>
  <em>Come on.</em>
</p><p>One deep breath in, one deep breath out. </p><p>Steve was standing in front of the door to Danny's room and couldn't stop thinking about what the doctor had said to him on their way through the corridor. </p><p>He had to remind himself that the bullet thankfully missed Danny's left lung, which was a good news. However, it was probably the only good news, because the gunshot wound caused quite severe bleeding and fractured Danny's left clavicle which made the doctor concerned about possible nerve damage in their patient's left shoulder respectively in his left arm. Then there was the moderate concussion from multiple blows to his head which could have many consequences. Another issue was Danny's right knee. It was visibly swollen so they decided to wrap an elastic bandage around it and to prop up the injured knee on pillows and to do different tests and scans later, when their patient would be doing better. But what was causing doctor's biggest concern was Danny's temperature as it was already above normal when he came in. The doctor informed Steve that in general, fever is a symptom of an infection and even if it was just caused by a cold, it is still a sign of a compromised immune system and that's the reason why non-emergency operations are avoided if fever is present because it significantly increases the risk of developing complications during and after the surgery. However, considering Danny's condition and time given, there were no other option than to operate immediately despite all the risks.  </p><p>First, Steve was relieved when he was told that there were no major complications during the surgery and that Danny did better than they had expected, only to be immediately worried even more when the doctor explained that he really was not out of the woods yet because complications could also develop after the surgery as in Danny's case was hard to tell what was causing his high body temperature. Steve's own heartbeat skyrocketed when he was told that Danny's heart, blood and respiratory rates were already higher then the doctor would like them to be. The doctors were doing their best to lower his temperature as they already put him on broad spectrum antibiotics to prevent possible infection from occurring or spreading, but they had yet no idea what was causing his fever. They were hoping his body would respond to the drugs while they would be doing different tests and monitor him closely. </p><p>And that was it. </p><p>Steve was standing in front of the door to Danny's room, wishing he could shake the doctor's words off his mind, however, they were still echoing in his head. </p><p>
  <em>Blows to the head, swollen knee, fever.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Moderate concussion, possible nerve damage, compromised immune system. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Higher heart, respiratory and pulse rate.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Complications.</em>
</p><p>And then, surprisingly, there was one simple word, one little thing that was going to haunt him. A cold. A stupid cold. Steve beat himself up that he didn't know whether Danny had cold or not. Because instead of staying with his partner, he left. He ran away. And now, one part of him wanted to run away again. </p><p>
  <em>Come on.</em>
</p><p>Another deep breath in, one deep breath out.</p><p>
  <em>Come on. It's Danny.</em>
</p><p>Exactly. It was Danny. It was Danny and there laid the problem. Not that he didn't want to see him because in fact, there was nothing else in the whole world he would've wanted more. Actually, he desperately wanted to burst into the room so he could be finally with him again, however, the other part of him terribly wanted to run away as he couldn't stand even the thought of the condition he was most likely going to see him in. And to say that only thinking about it was hurting him would've been a very deep understatement. It was killing him. It was shattering his already broken heart into million little pieces as he was scared his partner may not have enough strength left in him to fight. And in all honesty, he was scared he himself may not be strong enough, either. Because Steve usually may've seemed to be tough, brave or reckless but when it came to Danny... Let's say he just felt very different.</p><p>And now, he felt scared, lost and incomplete. However, his need to be with Danny was after all stronger than anything and knowing that physically the only thing that was separating him from his friend was the door to Danny's room, he opened his terrified eyes and, trying to calm down, took another deep breath in and out. And once he somehow managed to pull himself back together, he decided. Standing there, facing the door, feeling his heart in his throat, he decided to face the reality, too. He put his hand firmly on the doorknob and slowly opened the door.</p><p>He stepped into the room as quietly as he could, even though he was aware Danny wouldn't wake up so soon. And right after he closed the door very carefully, making sure he wasn't making any unnecessary noise, he turned towards the room. And as a NAVY Seal, he could've been trained for actually a lot of things. But as a man, he could've never been prepared for this, for the real-life version of his worst nightmare. He rubbed his hand over his face to relieve the tension, hoping it could've somehow changed the heart-wrenching view he had. He sighed in despair. Nothing could've changed anything. </p><p>He kept standing there for a moment, frozen at a place, forcing his brain to process what was in front of him, trying to take in everything around. In normal circumstances, any room would've been filled with Danny's personality, with his sarcasm, jokes and laughter. But this room was different as the atmosphere in it was filled only with Danny's silence, with Steve's fear and with the beeping sound of the heart monitor. Actually, speaking about the room's equipment, there were another two monitors, bags of fluids hanging on two tall silver poles, a bed table and, surprisingly, a couch that was partly hidden behind a curtain. And then there was one chair and one bed. And one man lying in that bed. </p><p>Never unlocking his eyes from that man, Steve made few steps closer as his need to be at that man's side was unconsciously dragging him towards the bed. And once he was close enough, he cautiously drew a chair nearer and sat down. However, to him, despite sitting as close to the bed respectively to the man as it was possible, it could've never been close enough. Even if he could lie down on that bed - even that wouldn't be close enough. </p><p>Sitting there in a complete silence, Steve looked up at the monitors that were surrounding the bed and controlling their patient's vital functions. His eyes switched from one to the other as he studied the numbers they were showing, thinking that at least these devices were, unlike him, able to have control over the situation. And for someone who used to have control over things, over almost everything, that was extremely difficult to accept. It made him feel him beyond powerless. And it only worsened when he returned his sight back to the man in the bed as Steve had to keep reminding himself that the man was not some battered stranger. It was hard to believe but this really was his partner. </p><p>
  <em>Danny...</em>
</p><p>Even though he had never been some giant, Danny still was one well-built man. Usually, the shirts he liked to wear were fitting closely to his well muscled chest, to his broad shoulders, to his strong arms. However, now, he was looking even smaller and so vulnerable, somehow lost not only in the hospital gown he was wearing but also under the two blankets that were covering him from his waist down. The lower blanket's color was white, a color matching his drained skin's tone. The upper blanket's color was blue, a color that would've been matching the color of his eyes if they were open. The eyes that were usually so bright and lively, the eyes that Steve was eager to see looking back at him but these exact same eyes that remained shut and on top of that the left one was slightly swollen.</p><p>Steve moved his sight from Danny's stubbornly closed eyes to the nasal cannula that was strapped under his nose, thankful that he was at least able to breathe on his own, with only a little assistance from that device. </p><p>Helplessly staring at Danny's face, Steve's eyes then slid down to Danny's lips with the lower one being busted. He was looking at the lips that were almost always moving as Danny used to talk sometimes so much that Steve was willing to pay him for stop talking. Now, however, he would've given anything to see these lips moving, to see them forming words, to see them smiling. But unfortunately, these lips were closed as Danny was remaining silent and still. </p><p>Then Steve's gaze landed on Danny's arms. These were the arms that, despite being strong, were able to give incredibly tender and comforting embrace. These were the arms he wished were put around him, giving him one of those tight hugs, nevertheless, these arms were lying completely still alongside Danny's unmoving body. And looking up to the IV lines that were connected to Danny's arms to pump the fluids and medications into their patient's veins, he hoped they would really help to return strength and life into his partner's weakened body. </p><p>Turning his attention back to Danny, Steve saw cuts, scrapes and bruises around Danny's wrists, forcing himself to not think about the hurting tales that must've been hidden behind these wounds. And then, in the end, he looked at Danny's hands. At the hands that were usually gesturing so wildly that Steve was sometimes only able to stare at him in amazement, thinking of his partner as of a little conductor. These were also the hands that were normally able to touch gently and lovingly just as to throw punches hard and fast. These were the hands that Steve wanted to hold, however, right now he was hesitant about it as Danny seemed so fragile he was almost afraid to touch him to not hurt him even more. Almost, because Steve's need for any contact, for any connection was once again much stronger than his fear, so he, aware of all Danny's painful wounds and of the sensitive skin around his wrists, reached his left hand and placed it very carefully on Danny's left hand. And if Danny had the ability of talking with his hands, then Steve could definitely talk with his eyes.</p><p>
  <em>Hey, buddy. It's me.</em>
</p><p>He felt his eyes were slowly filling with tears as he once again returned his sight to Danny's beaten face, feeling guilty for every single cut, for every bruise that was coloring his partner's pale face. </p><p>
  <em>I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Danny. </em>
</p><p>He felt he should've spent the rest of his life apologizing, not even daring to hope that any of his apologies could've been accepted. Ever. Because, if it wasn't because of him and his family, they wouldn't be here. Danny wouldn't be here. He wouldn't be lying here in this damned hospital bed, beaten, injured almost to death, fighting for his life.</p><p>
  <em>It should be me. It should be me lying in this bed. Not you. Not you...</em>
</p><p>He so hated the fact he couldn't do anything to trade places with Danny. He would've given his own life for Danny's in a heartbeat. He would've given everything he ever had to avoid any of this to happen. If only he could. If only he didn't feel so useless, so guilty and so scared. And with all these self-blaming thoughts that were once again uncompromisingly invading his restless mind, another wave of tears was brought into his already-red eyes. But knowing he had to do anything to avoid the tears from falling, he quickly rubbed his eyes with his right hand and looked up to the ceiling, blinking away the rest of them as he swallowed the lump in his throat and sighed deeply. And once he finally managed to compose himself, he looked back at Danny's still face.</p><p>
  <em>But you're safe now and you'll be good, Danny.</em>
</p><p>Steve tried to smile even though he himself didn't feel like smiling at all. He was naturally unbelievably grateful Danny was alive but felt beyond responsible for everything that his friend had to go through and was indescribably scared of what the nearest future may hold for his partner. For both of them. Because if there ain't no Danny... <em>No. Just - no.</em> He couldn't allow these excruciating thoughts to consume his mind and to grip his heart with fear even more. Instead, he instinctively tightened his own grip of Danny's weak hand just a little bit more, hoping that maybe Danny could've at least felt Steve's presence and his comforting touch.</p><p>And the moment he tightened his hold of Danny's hand, Steve's eyes filled with slight hope as he was wishing with all his being that it could've helped bring his partner back to him sooner. He wanted to feel Danny's fingers slightly intertwined with his own, however, as he felt, they didn't even twitched. He wanted to see Danny's blue eyes looking back at him, nevertheless, as he expected, they remained closed. And he wanted to hear Danny's voice again but, as he could hear, he remained silent. Despite his deepest wishes, he had to accept that Danny was not going to wake up so soon.	</p><p>
  <em>Just take your time and rest, buddy. It's okay. Because I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. I promise. </em>
</p><p>While making his silent promise, Steve instinctively began stroking Danny's left hand and its knuckles with his thumb, slowly and gently, perhaps being not even aware of it as it felt so natural to him. And sitting there, looking at Danny, holding his hand and listening to the sound of his breaths, Steve understood that if there was something he could do at the moment, it was just to be there and to wait. </p><p>---</p><p>He had been sitting there maybe half an hour or slightly more, spending most of the time looking at Danny or staring to nowhere, completely lost in his mind when his heart started to beat faster as a sudden soft and silent, nearly inaudible moan immediately drew his attention to Danny. Almost forgetting how to breathe, Steve stopped stroking Danny's hand as he was now only holding it, fully focusing all his senses on his partner. His hands were ready to feel even the slightest movement of Danny's fingers, his ears were strained to hear even the most silent whisper and his eyes were eager to see even the smallest sign that Danny was waking up. </p><p>Steve immediately leaned forward to be closer to his partner, instinctively placing the back of his free right hand on Danny's now obviously pain wrinkled and lightly sweated forehead, then on his bruised left cheek as he wanted to find out whether his fever was rising or not. </p><p>He couldn't have known that it was not the fever but the heart monitor respectively its sound what was causing Danny's discomfort as his confused mind was not able to identify the light beeping. To Danny, it was just the most annoying and loudest alarm sound ever that was painfully hammering a nail into his head with every single beep. He wished he could reach over to smash the alarm clock against the wall to end the torture because there was no way he was getting out of the bed that day. And indeed, he was right. There really was no way he was going to move an inch because, even though he was covered only with two light blankets, he felt like being buried under tons of concrete. He was so exhausted he didn't even bother to open his heavy eyes to find out what happened to him. And more than that, he even didn't have enough energy to panic about it.</p><p>Watching a deep frown on Danny's face and hearing him moaning louder, Steve placed his right hand on Danny's left arm very carefully to comfort him. However, being too bothered with the throbbing noise inside his head, Danny didn't notice the light touch on his shoulder. On the contrary, what he did notice was another sound.</p><p>"Danny?" Steve said softly.</p><p>Hearing the unexpected new sound for the first time, Danny sighed and instinctively squeezed his eyes shut even more as it almost felt like someone was screaming in his ear. However, he wasn't sure it was a voice as the sound was muffled by some kind of barrier. Danny's mind was too foggy yet to be able to identify it, let alone to understand someone was saying his name.</p><p>"Danny, you with me? Can you hear me, buddy?" Steve asked concernedly.</p><p>Despite the fact that this new sound was slowly but surely, little by little, word by word, transforming into a voice, Danny couldn't figure out what the voice was telling him as the headache was drawing all his attention. On top of that, the pain was causing his heart beat a little bit faster which led to the mild acceleration of the beeps which made his headache worse and so on. Unfortunately, this simple chain reaction was something his still not so cooperative brain was not able to understand. </p><p>"Relax, buddy, relax. It's okay," Steve reassured despite the fact he himself actually started to panic a little bit while he nervously switched his eyes from his partner to the monitors and back. He was told Danny's heartbeat was already faster than it should've been and its further, even if slight, increasing was scaring him to the bone. Helpless, he turned his head towards the door, hoping to see a nurse or a doctor miraculously entering the room. However, no one was coming in. And there was in fact no reason for it as Danny's heart rate didn't increase that much so the monitor didn't sent an alert to the nurses' room.</p><p>Nevertheless, the creases on Danny's pain wrinkled forehead only deepened and, consciously or not, his fingers suddenly twitched under the grip of Steve's hand while he wished for his head to finally explode so there would be no pain anymore, only merciful silence. </p><p>Immediately turning his sight and attention back to his partner and taking the slight movement of Danny's fingers as a possible sign that maybe he was aware Steve was there, he decided to use his own voice as something Danny could hold on to, as something he could take comfort in. "Just listen to my voice, Danny, okay?" he asked in a steady way despite the anxiety he felt. "Listen to my voice," he repeated calmly.</p><p>The voice. The voice that kept talking to him. The deep but soft voice. The voice so familiar but without a face. The voice so soothing that it was suddenly giving him feeling of warmth and safety. The voice that every fiber of his being was telling him he should've trust, the voice he had to focus on. And so Danny did. </p><p>"Breathe nice and slow for me, okay?" Steve asked, barely breathing himself. </p><p>Normally, Danny would've not only breathe for him. He would've die for him if he had to. But to slow his breathing down seemed kind of impossible at the moment.</p><p>"Come on, Danno, don't be so stubborn," Steve encouraged as he moved his right hand from Danny's left arm higher to his shoulder. "Breathe nice and slow. Nice and slow," he reminded in a calm, controlled way while he studied Danny's face and the monitors, feeling his own heart racing against his chest. "Come on, babe."</p><p>Focusing on his breathing and his head more than on the rest of his otherwise numb body, Danny only remotely felt the calming touch on his left shoulder. He tried to do his best to slow down his breathing until the worst pain in his head had reduced to a more tolerable level. It took quite a moment but it seemed it finally worked as Danny's face was not in so much tension anymore and the heart rate together with his breathing were back to what was now Danny's normal. "That's it, buddy," Steve sighed, deeply relieved. "That's it. You're doin'good."</p><p>In fact, listening to the voice was not the only thing that helped Danny relax a little bit. It was also the fact that his brain started to be more cooperative and he became able to catch up some words that the voice had said and that slowly diverted his attention from his painful discomfort. </p><p>
  <em>Listen... </em>the voice commanded. 
</p><p>
  <em>Danno... </em>the voice teased.
</p><p>
  <em>Breathe...</em> the voice pleaded.
</p><p>
  <em>Babe...</em> the voice cared.
</p><p>Suddenly, Danny partly opened his dry lips. "Ste..." he instinctively whispered, his heavy eyes still stubbornly closed. </p><p>The moment Steve heard Danny's voice, even though it was more of a low and exhausted whisper, he felt his eyes filled with hope and expectation. "I'm right here, buddy" Steve immediately reassured not only with words but also with a soft smile that Danny couldn't see yet. </p><p>However, considering the confused state Danny's mind was in, he could've been reassured thousand times by Steve himself that it was really him and Danny's brain still would've been stubbornly persuading him that it couldn't be Steve. Because from what his tired mind could've remembered, Steve was gone. He left. So it just had to be some kind of hallucination. A wishful thinking. A dream. Simply anything but Steve. But then, why did he still have the strong feeling that maybe, after all... Danny knew there was only one way to find out. And he knew it was not going to be a pleasant way because so far he was only able to hear sounds and his head already felt like a bomb ready to go off. But he had to see. He had to see with his very own eyes whether the voice really belonged to his partner or not.</p><p>Very slowly, but with enormous effort, Danny worked hard to open his heavy eyelids. He managed to open his eyes just a crack only to squeeze them shut again as quickly as he could, frowning, clenching his jaw, instinctively pushing his head more backwards into the pillow. He wished he could hide from the daylight as his eyes were so sensitive that even the slightest ray of light stung painfully. </p><p>Steve was watching Danny struggling and felt useless. He wanted to help him so badly, however, there was not much he could do so he kept encouraging his partner even if every single Danny's painful moan tore Steve's heart apart. "You can do this, Danny. You can," he urged and tightened his hold of Danny's hand to reassure he was not alone in this fight.</p><p>Danny sighed in despair. No one could possibly imagine how much he wanted and didn't want to open his eyes at the same time. He just didn't want to experience the pain again. The pain from opening his eyes to the blinding light. The pain from realizing that Steve could've been actually only a figment of his imagination. But the voice that was talking to him... The voice was stronger and closer with every single word it had said and he just needed to see where it was coming from.</p><p>"Just open your eyes for me, buddy," Steve pleaded and once again moved his right hand that was placed on Danny's left shoulder so far. Being careful not to touch the nasal cannula, he reached his hand and gently palmed the left side of Danny's face. However, this time he didn't want to check his partner's fever. This time he wanted to comfort him witch his own presence as much as Danny's fragile condition allowed him to. So he covered some of the bruises with his palm, his thumb resting on Danny's cheek, the rest of his fingers touching Danny's neck, Danny's pulse pounding beneath Steve's fingertips.</p><p>The unexpected but caring touch on his sore face, the hand's warmth on his shivering skin was the final impulse Danny needed to slowly open his eyes, little by little, giving them enough time to adjust to the light of the room.</p><p>"That's it. That's my boy," Steve said proudly, smiling, feeling the tears of both relief and happiness were brought to his own eyes as he could see what he had been waiting the whole time for. Danny's blue eyes. </p><p>In fact, they were very tired, unfocused and confused eyes because Danny managed to open them only to a blurred shape above him and it took a couple of another blinks to focus both his sight and mind, to recognize that shape. </p><p>First, that silhouette turned into a person. Then the person got a familiar face and finally, after a moment, the face had a well-known name. </p><p>"Steve?" he sighed, forcing his tired brain to catch up, hoping he realized whom the voice and face belonged to, however, still unsure whether his mind was not only playing a cruel game with him.</p><p>"Hey, buddy," Steve welcomed him back with a smile on his face.</p><p>Instead of smiling back, Danny stared somehow lost at the man's face as his confused brain decided to remind that the crazy Navy SEAL still could've been only a creation of his desperate mind because Steve left Hawaii. Steve left him. But Steve was obviously also here. And Danny was now looking into his eyes. And he was feeling his touch. On his hand. On his face. At the moment, none of it made any sense to him as he just wasn't able to figure this out. "You... Here...?" was the only thing he managed to ask. "Really?"</p><p>The question together with the visible confusion in Danny's eyes made Steve's heart skip a beat. "Yeah, buddy, I'm right here," he reassured, somehow able to keep his voice steady despite he himself felt the exact opposite.</p><p>Danny managed to stare into Steve's eyes despite keeping his own open only barely, still doubting whether he was really looking at his friend or whether he was hallucinating. And as he felt the fatigue started to overwhelm him, he decided to not care anymore because, real Steve or an imagined one, there was only one thing Danny wished for. "Stay..." he whispered, pleading with his tired eyes. And even if he wanted to say more, he knew he was completely exhausted, feeling like he just finished a marathon, so thinking or speaking was something his body simply didn't have enough energy and a sleep seemed to be the only activity that was possible and inevitable.</p><p>For a moment, Steve was unable to say anything. He was caught completely off guard because, as if it was not enough that Danny was looking straight into his eyes, into his soul, his honest plea found its way straight into his heart. It was like an arrow hitting its target. And it hit him all the more because it only reminded once again him how vulnerable and frail Danny was right now.</p><p>Steve really had to fight hard to keep the tears at bay as he was looking into Danny's eyes, into so blue, so pleading and so tired eyes. With a lot of effort, he managed to smile, even though his smile was somehow sad. "I'm not going anywhere, buddy. I promise," he reassured as he began to caress Danny's bruised cheek with his thumb. And he didn't have to say anything else because his caring touch and eyes were now communicating all the most important words.</p><p>Despite the unbearable tiredness, the state when even blinking was exhausting, Danny softly smiled back while he was listening to Steve's promise. Because Steve was there at his side. And he promised he was not going anywhere which meant Danny was not alone. He was safe. And happy. And with this realization, he decided to not fight the exhaustion any longer so he, locking eyes with Steve's to the very last moment before his with each blink more and more heavy eyelids finally closed for good, slowly and carefully nestled his face into Steve's palm, feeling its warmth with his neck, with his cheek, and drifted off to a sleep.</p><p>---</p><p>Even though he himself became tired and sleepy, Steve didn't let his eyes and hands off Danny for a couple of another minutes. Needing to have control at least over something, he couldn't stop watching Danny sleeping peacefully and listening to his breaths. And calming not only his injured partner but also himself, he couldn't stop holding Danny's hand and caressing his cheek. Steve was actually so focused on Danny he didn't even notice the door to the room was being opened very quietly. It was only the clicking sound of the door being closed that had caught his attention and brought him back to reality. And right after he glanced over his shoulder to see an older nurse entering the room, he turned his sight back to Danny who was thankfully still sleeping. Being now aware of the nurse's presence, Steve tenderly stroked Danny's face for the last time, his fingertips gently touching the bruised face almost like a feather touch, and then he rested his right arm on his knee while his left hand remained holding Danny's hand. </p><p>"I'm sorry to disturb but I have to check on Mr. Williams," the nurse said apologetically and most importantly quietly as to not wake up the patient while she went past Steve. He felt a heart in his throat as he became a little bit panicked he may've missed some sign of change in Danny's condition that had made the nurse to finally come in. </p><p>"Oh, don't worry, dear. It's nothing unusual," she reassured in a low voice right after she noticed the concerned and hypnotizing stare Steve was giving her and picked up the chart from the end of Danny's bed. "It's just a regular check-up."</p><p>"Okay," Steve sighed in relief and watched her controlling the IV lines, studying the numbers on the monitors and making quick notes. "He, uh, he actually woke up for a moment but he was so..." he semi-whispered to inform the nurse, however, he was not able to finish the sentence as he remembered the confused, vulnerable and pleading look in Danny's eyes. Being emotionally exhausted himself, he sighed and slowly rubbed his tired eyes.</p><p>Listening to his sad voice, hearing him struggling to even talk about his partner's condition, the nurse flashed an understanding look at him and then at their sleeping patient. She knew that these situations were hard for everyone. For both the patients and their loved ones. She knew that sometimes waking up after surgery was far from easy. She knew that it often happened in stages and especially after sustaining a concussion and multiple injuries. And considering their patient's current condition, she also knew he didn't win his battle yet. But she also knew that reminding all this wouldn't be helping either as the worried man himself was obviously only barely holding up.</p><p>"Why don't you go get some coffee? Maybe a little break could do you good," she suggested kindly, naturally unaware of Steve's promise that he was not going to leave his partner's side. "Mr. Williams is in good hands, I promise," she reassured with a smile on her face.</p><p>"No, no, no. I'm fine here. But, uh, thank you," Steve appreciated her concern, but he couldn't stand even the thought of leaving his partner alone. The only thing he needed was to have his friend back as soon as possible. "I just wish there is something I could do to help him feel better," he added after a moment as he was looking at his sleeping partner, feeling helpless, still holding Danny's limp hand, stroking its knuckles with his thumb.</p><p>Once the nurse was done with making notes, she placed the chart back on the bed's end and slowly walked towards the door. But at some point on her way out, she stopped at Steve for a moment, giving him compassionate smile that he couldn't see as he had eyes only for Danny. Once again, he was so focused on his partner with every fiber of his being that he barely felt the nurse's hand that was now on his shoulder. "I'm sure you are helping him just being here with him," she comforted as her gaze landed on Steve's hand wrapped around Danny's one, thinking that was something this man needed to hear. "Just give him time," she added.</p><p>Steve only slightly nodded, unable to say something back or to unlock his eyes from his partner as the nice lady quietly left the room. He knew he had to wait. If only he didn't hate the waiting so much. But he also knew that if there was someone worth all the wait, it was definitely his best friend, his irreplaceable partner, his Danno.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Feel free to leave a comment, if you want :-)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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